I've Fallen For You
by 3Iluvsonic4ever27
Summary: After an accidental encounter in the school hallway, Levi and Eren become close friends and bonds are made along the way. [Modern Day College AU, Eren x Levi, Rated M for future chapters]
1. IOU

**Here's the modern day AU I've mentioned before.**

**I'm a bit nervous because this will be the first fic I've posted as I'm writing it. I usually write out stories then type it all at once. So even I don't know for sure how this will turn out. I can guarantee it won't end like Supplement though, for those of you who've read it, geez. *slaps self***

**I hope you enjoy this one!**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin nor its characters **

* * *

Chapter 1

'_Not good, I'm going to be late again!' _

Eren sprinted across the freshly trimmed grass of Wall Rose University, tracking green footprints after he reached the sidewalk and darted for building B. He rummaged his hand in his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out his phone to check the time. 10:10 am.

"Are you serious!? It was only 10 when I got here!" Eren cried to himself, still running for the same building. "This school is way too big." He sighed as he opened the door to building B and ran down its first hallway.

'_It's already over for me. Professor Shadis is gonna kill me for sure this time.' _Eren gulped as his mind flickered over the various punishments Shadis could have in mind for him this time.

He turned another corner.

This time it wasn't really Eren's fault for being late. Sure he came late several times before because he'd fallen asleep under a tree, fallen asleep on the train, or had just fallen back asleep at home in his cozy bed. It had always pertained to sleep. But this time it was the train that made him late. 20 minutes late to be exact. That knocked out his usual leisure time in the morning before class and replaced it with an overexerting run for class.

Eren ran as fast as he could without disturbing the other classes in that building. He harshly bent around each corner and within seconds of entering the building he was almost at his classroom. Just one more corner and he'd be-

"Ouch!" Eren held his hand as it stung from the burn of a hot liquid. He let out a desperate wince before opening his eyes to see a dark haired man on the floor peering down at his leaking coffee cup. "O-oh! I'm sorry! Let me help you up!" Eren exclaimed now frantic as he noticed the cup's contents dripping down the man's black coat. The man looked up at Eren and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm fine. I can get up on my own." He said, his silver eyes leaving Eren's and looking back down towards the newly made mess on his coat. He reached a hand into one of his coat pockets and pulled out a seemingly conveniently placed bundle of napkins. The man stopped as he noticed a hand still reached out in front of him. He trailed the hand up until he met those same worried green eyes.

"Hey, I said I'm fine. Don't you have somewhere to be anyway? I could hear you breathlessly panting like a filthy animal before you even turned the corner." The dark haired man said now leaving his attention on Eren, the annoyance lingering in his voice.

Eren shot up at the question and pulled out his phone again. 10:15.

"Darnit! I'm definitely dead!" Eren reached down quickly and picked up the binder he'd thrown to the ground on accident and adjusted his backpack correctly on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry again! I'd stay and help but I'm really late right now!" Eren maneuvered around the sitting man and paced again down the hall. "I hope your day gets better!" He yelled over his shoulder before gripping a door handle and taking a deep breath.

'_That was embarrassing, and now there's this.' _ Eren meekly opened the classroom door and slowly inched in. All eyes were on him.

"Finally Jaeger. We've been waiting for you to join us so I could start the class." Professor Shadis spoke surprisingly quietly. "Arlert informed me that your "train was late". Right"

"But my train was late this time!" Eren argued, now a bit angered at the accusation.

"Doesn't matter. Look over at your classmates Jaeger. They don't care and I most definitely don't care what your excuse is. Point is, since we've waited all this time for you, we'll need to make up that time by adding an extra 30 minutes to the class."

Groans and complaints filled the classroom. Eren looked over at the rest of the students, then at Armin who glanced back shyly, regretting that he'd tried to help at all.

"Way to go Eren." Jean scoffed from the back of the classroom. "Yet again, we have to take blame for Eren's screw up."

"What do you mean _again_? When have I ever gotten any of you in trouble?!" Eren lashed back.

"Huh? You don't remember? God I hate people like you. Two weeks ago you-"

_Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_

"Waaaa I'm getting hungry just thinking about the food I'll be missing out on for 30 minutes!" Sasha wailed, dramatically bringing her hands down to hold her stomach.

"What the hell Sasha? We just ate a breakfast big enough for an entire family! Actually you ate most of it, how are you even hungry again?!" Connie exclaimed wide-eyed.

"YOU ALL NEED TO BE QUIET NOW!" Shadis was furious. The bickering of first year college students was his least favorite part about his job. "I used to teach such smart, mature students. Why in the world am I stuck you with all? And you wonder why I treat you all like high schoolers." He remained there rubbing his temples as the silent class stared at him, afraid to even move a muscle. "You know what? We're doing the quiz now. The lesson plan for today was going to be a movie on the human mind, but forget it, forget the extra 30 minutes, you guys have given me a headache before class even began."

"Wooh! Now I can eat even earlier! Yaahoooo!" Sasha yelled, almost jumping up from her seat in excitement. Shadis and the rest of her classmates looked at her through bewildered eyes. Was she always this much of a fool?

"Braus." Shadis spoke without removing his gaze from the abnormal girl.

"Yes sir?"  
"You can leave earlier if you decide to fail this test now to go eat instead. So much enjoyable food is waiting for you. Pizza, fries, hamburgers, it's all waiting. Outside of my classroom." His eye twitched as he waited for her to reply. He'd never wanted a student so far away from him in his life. Her daring personality irked him with every thoughtless word that formed from her mouth.

A drop of drool slipped from the gawking girl's mouth and formed a puddle upon her desk.

Comments of "oh geez" and "are you kidding me Sasha?" bubbled from her classmates throats as she further considered the idea of leaving early to eat.

"Sasha cut that out." Connie lightly slapped the back of Sasha's head, bringing her back into reality. "Going to eat isn't worth a test grade right now." He sighed and shrugged at Shadis. "She's not going anywhere for now."

Shadis turned around and grabbed a stack of test papers. "Can't say I didn't try." He mumbled to himself. "Here Jaeger, since you're still standing there for whatever reason, pass these out." Eren turned and began passing out the papers down the rows one by one. "The test is 50 questions based on last week's lecture. Take it, turn it in, and leave."

After finishing his paper run, Eren took his usual seat in between Armin and Mikasa in the third row. "Thanks for trying to cover for me Armin." He whispered to the blond boy on the right of him.

"Sure, too bad it didn't help any though." Armin whispered back.

"Yeah, but did we really expect him to go easy on us? Thank god he hates Sasha or else we'd be stuck here even longer. That asshole Jean made it blatantly obvious that everyone would hate me for that." Eren grumbled at the thought of Jean's arrogant sounding voice.

"Who cares about him? We get to leave early now so he should be grateful. Anyway why'd you get here _so _late? The walk here from the train is only about 10 minutes."

"Oh right! I was running so fast that when I turned a corner I accidently bumped into this guy and sorta spilled his coffee all over him. I tried to help him out but he didn't care for the assistance." Eren explained suddenly feeling bad all over again about the encounter. "I've never seen him before but I wish I could make it up to him."

"Well what did he look like?" Armin asked, knowing that this would bother Eren until he really did make it up to the man. "We could help you look for him."

"Well he had black, short hair. Umm he wore a long black winter coat today and he was awfully sho-"

"Can it Jaeger, I'll fail you for cheating if you don't be quiet." Shadis barked. His eyes fixed on Eren.

"Yes sir." Eren replied aloud over a couple of snickers from his classmates. "I'll finish telling you later." He whispered once more to Armin who only nodded his head in reply.

* * *

'_Uhg I'm finally done with this test, I know I didn't fail at least.' _Eren slouched against his chair and laid his pencil down. He looked from side to side to see Armin and Mikasa still working. Eren rested his head down on his desk to wait for his friends before turning in his own paper and leaving.

"I almost forgot," Shadis' voice sparked the attention of each student whose minds long drifted into the world of PSY 101. "Your papers are due today, the ones issued a few weeks ago. Since you're all still here, make sure you turn it in before you leave."

Eren lifted his binder up from under his desk and opened it on his desk. He skimmed through it a couple times but he couldn't find his essay.

'_Huh? I know it's in here.' _He thought as he took a gracious amount of time going through each paper binded in the book along with the ones overflowing in the side pockets.

The classroom door opened but Eren was too engulfed in his scavenge for his paper to see who came in.

"Sir, I think this belongs to one of your students in this class." A barely familiar voice rang through Eren's ears. His eyes glanced up quickly and he unconsciously shook Armin's arm next to him.

"That's him," He hissed, not letting his eyes leave the shorter man whose black coat was replaced with a grey sweatshirt. "He's the one I knocked over."

"Eh? Really? Well now's your chance, turn in your test and apologize properly. We'll catch up to you." Armin smiled.

"Thanks Armin." Eren closed his binder and began putting his stuff away.

"One of my students? Fantastic, it's the paper that's due today. Let's see which of my airheaded students messed up this time." Shadis' eyes roamed to the top corner of the paper where the student name, date, teacher, and classroom number remained. "Of course." He sighed and looked up at Eren. The shorter man's eyes followed and a grimace formed on his face. "Jaeger, what were you planning on doing if this man didn't return your paper?"

"I- Um I actually hadn't realized it was gone until a few minutes ago, so I'm not really sure what my plan was yet." He gulped feeling the stares of the dark haired man resting on him. "Well since it was found, I'll be turning in my test and taking my leave heh-heh." Eren laughed awkwardly and got up from his seat to turn in his test. He smiled faintly at his scornful teacher. "S-Sorry Sir." He smiled hesitantly before tapping the unamused short man next to him and gesturing for him to follow him out of the classroom.

"Who is that?" Mikasa whispered to Armin over Eren's empty desk.

"It's someone that Eren inconvenienced earlier so he's going to apologize properly now." Armin replied straining his body to the side so Mikasa could hear him clearly.

"Oh…I see." Mikasa quietly said.

"Arlert, Ackerman! Quit walking in the footsteps of Jaeger and take your tests." Shadis yelled massaging his temples for the second time that morning.

The two nodded their heads and continued with their tests.

* * *

"I'm really sorry again for knocking you down earlier…and spilling your coffee." Eren spoke quietly outside of his classroom.

"Tea." He replied.

"What?"

"Tea. I was drinking tea. Anyway I said I was fine. Didn't you hear me?" The man spoke sternly, a rough voice not fit for a man of such a size.

"Yeah I did but it's not like that makes it okay…And then you even returned my paper, I think I owe you one." Eren smiled down at the glaring man.

"I think not." He replied, his lips curling downwards.

"Why not?" Eren asked confused. "I'll buy you another tea. It's the least I can do."

"I don't need you to buy me a drink. Accidents happen and if you'd really like to make it up to me, let me leave now so I can get to class on time, preventing another incident like this." The man said his voice beginning to air of impatience.

"That's harsh," Eren sighed. "Well at least consider it. I noticed your cup was from the school's personal shop, so tomorrow morning I'll stick around there and if you'd like the free drink then come by. Please?" Eren clapped his hands together in a begging form and a smile grew on his face.

The shorter one eyed Eren's hands and lifted his eyes to meet the glistening innocence above him. "…Maybe. But it's completely unnecessary so I probably won't come. Don't count on it at least." He grumbled before turning to walk away.

A flicker of happiness sprung against Eren. He'd felt horrible before but a chance to mend it made him feel all the better.

"W-wait though!" Eren stuttered now that it occurred to him. "What's your name?"

The man sighed and turned just enough to see Eren. "It's Levi."

Eren watched Levi turn around again and move forward to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow Levi!" Eren called without receiving a reply in return.

Levi rolled his eyes. "I never said I was going to go idiot." He mumbled under his breath and quickened his pace to head to class.

* * *

"How'd that go?" Armin asked Eren once he and Mikasa had left the classroom.

"Swell, I might be able to make it up to him tomorrow at the school café." Eren smiled. "He didn't really say if he'd show up or not but if he does I'll buy him another tea."

"Might?" Mikasa chimed in. "He looked rude and he didn't even accept your offer. It's not even worth it to try with someone like that."

"You don't know that!" Eren shot back, his eyebrows furrowing. "He's being nice by not wanting me to go out of my way. You can't always immediately judge everyone I talk to without talking to them yourself." Eren frowned at the dispassionate girl.

"Okay guys, I swear you fight every chance you get." Armin chuckled. "Anyway let's go get lunch, I'm starved and now we've got an extra 45 minutes added to the hour we usually have until our next class starts."

"Yeah you're right huh?" Eren said checking the time. "Don't we have a project due in that class as well? We can eat, then add any finishing touches if we need to."

"Right," Armin replied. "I need to take that from my email and place it on my flash drive now that you mention it."

"Where are we eating?" Mikasa asked interrupting the boy's talk of their projects as she tugged on the red scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Dunno, but let's make it cheap. I haven't gotten paid yet." Eren answered, pondering the cheapest place.

"Let's eat at my place then." Armin suggested.

Armin only lived 5 minutes walking distance from the school. When his parents decided to move a couple years back Armin wasn't all that happy to be separated from his friends but when their friendship never broke and college came around, the move proved to be extremely convenient in the long run.

"I always sorta forget that you live so close to here now." Eren mentioned to Armin with Mikasa nodding her head in agreement.

"Me too actually," Armin admitted. "My mom should be home now, I'll text her and ask her to make us something for lunch."

"Yessssss!" Eren exclaimed. "Even your mom's snacks are delicious! Come on let's hurry it up guys!" Eren urged his friends by pushing on their backpacks. "I'm getting hungry talking about this."

"Okay, okay." Armin laughed, lengthening his strides.

* * *

"Wow that was great Mrs. Arlert." Eren commented as he held his full stomach. "Your sandwiches are well more worth my money than the ones at any place around here."

"Thanks Eren," Mrs. Arlert chuckled, sweeping her blonde bangs away from her face. "You guys can always come by for lunch, it's cheaper. And besides, I miss seeing your and Mikasa's faces, it's been so long!" She said as she lifted the empty plates from the table and brought them back to the kitchen.

"Well looks like it's time to go back now and finish up our projects right?" Armin asked eyeing each friend. Mikasa shook her head in agreement and stood up. "Mom we're heading back now! I'll see you when I get back!"

"Alright, take care you guys!" Her voice sounded from the kitchen in mixture with the running sink water.

"I don't wanna go back." Eren sighed. "Mrs. Arlert I'm going to just stay and live here if that's okay with you!" Eren called, his eyes closed, not wanting to be disturbed just yet.

"That's fine with me Eren!" She giggled and continued scrubbing away at the dirtied dishes.

"Right, as fun as it sounds to live with you, I just don't think I can do it." Armin shook his head and picked up his bag. "Come on Eren, let's go."

"Uhg fine," Eren grumbled before taking one last deep breath and finally picking up his own bag to head out the door with.

Eren opened the door and slugged. It's not that Eren hated school, but leaving such a comforting environment to return to projects and later on his part time job, wasn't exactly as fun to deal with as it was to lounge around and eat tasty sandwiches all day. And to top it all off, it was only Monday.

* * *

The day was finally over. Just a train ride home and finally he could sleep again.

"Can I clock out now?" Eren asked his boss Pixis while untying his apron. "I finished my closing duties."

"Go ahead Eren, good job tonight. Now go home, you're off tomorrow, so rest up." Pixis said, giving Eren a couple pats on his shoulder.

"Thanks," Eren smiled. "I'll see you Wednesday."

Eren worked part time as a waiter at a restaurant close to his school. Shina was an older restaurant that'd been ran by the same man for over 30 years after having been passed down to him from his own father of course. Eren was lucky enough to get a job there while the rest of the employees were either family members or close friends. But for some unknown reason, at least to Eren, Pixis hired Eren and hasn't regretted it since.

"I'm so tired." Eren trudged towards the train station, gliding a finger across his phone screen to reply to recent text messages and check email alerts.

'_At least this train isn't late.' _Eren thought as he looked forward with darkened eyes to see the train waiting in position before it was set to leave in 10 minutes. He yawned and stepped on board before taking his seat and giving his eyes a chance to rest.

* * *

Eren's eyes fluttered open as familiar buildings passed through his line of sight. The usual voice became apparent to him as he stretched out and yawned again, preparing to get off at his stop soon.

"_Now approaching the Shiganshina District. Now approaching the Shiganshina District."_

The doors opened and Eren lazily limped through them, trying subtly to wake up his sleeping leg when a phone vibration jolted it back to life.

"Hello?" Eren spoke into the receiver.

"_Will you be home soon?" _The voice answered. It was Mikasa. She had been living with Eren and his family for the past 10 years and worried over Eren like an older sister with each and every passing year. Mikasa had been adopted into the Jaeger family when her parents died in a plane crash on their way to another country for a business trip and no other immediate family members could be gotten ahold of. Eren found her one morning in her house alone and shivering, tears streamed down her face and she kept a wired telephone close to her ear. She whispered "mom" and "dad" countless times, sniffling every so often when no reply was given and only the dial tone resounded through her ears. Eren ran to her immediately and lifted her into his arms rubbing her head and frantically asking her what was wrong. She made no attempt to tell him what had happened, all she could do was shiver and stare absent mindedly at the wall and call out for her parents. Eren took off his red muffler and wrapped it around Mikasa, covering her neck along with her face in hopes of drying the endless downpour of tears. He cradled her in his arms until the crying stopped and she could actually focus again. He helped her up as she stood and grabbed her hand, leading her to the door to bring her back to his own parents next door. No words were spoken. Eren soon realized that words weren't necessary at this moment, what was important was for Mikasa to not be afraid and not cry anymore. He didn't like to see anyone cry.

"Yeah, I'm almost there, I'll be there in 5 minutes tops. I just got off of the train." He replied, reaching a crowd of people waiting for the crossing sign to change. "You shouldn't be up anyway, it's almost midnight and you go to school earlier than me. Go to sleep Mikasa."

"_I don't like sleeping until I know you're safe." _She said. The tiredness in her voice was evident.

Eren sighed into the receiver. "Alright I'll be there soon, then go to sleep as soon as I get home okay? You've slept before I've gotten there plenty of times before."

"_Okay Eren." _She answered and then hung up from her end.

"Mikasa is a riot." Eren spoke aloud and scratched the back of his head. He slid a hand into his backpack and felt around for his keys while heading down his street. His fingers finally met the sharpened edges as he reached his doorstep. The key was deemed unnecessary though as the door swung open before the rigged end even grazed the lock.

"Welcome back." Mikasa greeted him at the door, shocking Eren with her unexpected appearance.

"Don't do that," He hissed. "Why do you think I have a key?" He walked through the door and pulled off his coat worn for the colder nights. "I'm pooped," He whined, flopping onto the soft tan couch. "I'm going to bed so you go too alright?"

"Okay, but Eren I need to talk to you first." She said sitting on the edge of the couch closest to Eren's feet.

"Sure, what's up?" He asked with his head buried into a red pillow.

"I was thinking about going out with Jean sometime." She said as a pink tint spread beneath her tired eyes.

"No way Mikasa! Anyone but that horse faced asshole!" He sat up and glared at her. "Why him anyway? He'd probably treat you like crap and not even find a problem with that!"

"That's not true," Her words slowly edged through her muffler. "He drove me home today after class. He's actually really nice and shy in an honest way. He also aces most of his tests while still managing a side job."

"Great. Do what you want Mikasa, but don't expect me to accept that right away, or at all for that matter. He's always a jerk to me; I'm surprised you're even okay with that." He said stretching out in front of the couch and walking towards the hallway.

"I'm not…But I would speak to him about it." She said standing up from her position on the couch.

"Right, well goodnight Mikasa. Good luck with that animal of a human." Eren reached for his door handle and stepped into his room.

"Goodnight Eren." Mikasa smiled underneath her scarf and headed for her own bedroom.

Eren stripped off his clothing and made way to the bathroom within his bedroom. He brushed his teeth and used the toilet, saving the showering for the next morning. He anxiously climbed into bed and shut his eyes. He wondered what it would be like for Mikasa to date someone. He'd thought about it before and actually hoped for it from time to time seeing as how she was so stuck on him, but he never imagined she'd go for someone like Jean. He'd give the guy a chance. But _one _chance was all he'd get.

'_He better not screw up.' _Eren thought as he let his mind wander again. The next thing that flashed in his mind was Levi. _'I wonder if he'll show up tomorrow. I hope he does. It's really the least I could do._' The image of Levi sitting flat against the floor with tea dripping down his coat formed in Eren's head. _'That was pretty bad, he really should let me make it up to_-" Eren's thoughts were cut off and replaced with soft inhales as his tired mind drifted on to something new.

* * *

**And that's it for the first chapter**

**What did you guys think? **

**I really want Eren and Levi's relationship to start out slow so I can build up the emotion, so be patient please! **

**Oh it will come though eue **

**Please follow and review! ^o^**


	2. Meet Me Again?

**Alright, this chapter has been waiting to go up since yesterday but alas it had to wait until today.**

**I don't have planned uploading dates like I did for my last story but so far it seems that I spend all my free time away from work and school, writing fanfiction! So the chapters shouldn't take long each time ^o^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or its characters **

* * *

Chapter 2

"So he really didn't want to show up huh?" Eren asked himself aloud as he tapped his fingers on the wooden table in front of him. He took a sip of his coffee and pulled out his phone to check the time. 15 minutes before class begins. He sighed in an attempt to cease the disappointment that lingered in his chest.

'_I'd better get going. I can't wait around much longer.' _Eren thought as he lifted his bag from the seat next to him and swung it over his shoulder, lacing his arms between the straps. He left the café and squinted his eyes against the shining rays of the sun.

"It's _way_ too bright for this cool weather." He mumbled before diverting his attention in another direction. He rested his eyes on a shady tree and sitting beneath said tree was Levi, drinking none other than the school branded tea.

'_When did he-?' _Eren began thinking as his feet unconsciously led him to the emotionless man leaning against the darkened tree trunk.

"Hey! Levi, what gives? I've been waiting for you in there," Eren said pointing a finger towards the school's café. "Did you see me and not say anything?"

Levi looked up from the laptop resting on his crossed legs before reaching a hand to his face to remove his glasses. "I didn't see you inside." He said in the least apologetic way.

"But I've been- Wait, what time did you get here?" Eren asked in confusion. "I looked out for you most of the time, but I never saw you walk in."

Levi sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned back further against the tree. "I get here at 8 o'clock each morning." He opened his eyes and gazed at the green leaves swaying above them. He let his eyes fall back to the brown haired man standing over him. "I did see you walk in though."

Eren closed his eyes sharply and brought his hand to his face, sliding it up until it raked through his hair. "You knew I was going in there to meet you didn't you?"

"I guess." Levi muttered impassively.

'You could have called out to me or even came inside. Actually coming inside would've made sense. Why didn't you do that?"

"I was already sitting down."

"…You were already… You're a very stubborn man, you know that?" Eren huffed before wiggling his hand in his pocket to fish out his phone. 9:52 am. "Darn it, not this again." Eren rolled his eyes and tightened his backpack over his shoulders. "I'm gonna be late again," He sighed. "Are you busy during lunch?"

"No." Levi replied dead panned.

"When does your next class end?"

"11:30."

"Great, I get out at 11 so I'll meet you here at say…11:35? Okay? Then I can have at least enough time to buy you your tea." Eren twisted a leg to turn around. "You'd better be here." He said, his back facing Levi now.

Levi groaned as Eren looked back waiting for a reply. "Yeah yeah, I'll be right here." He rolled his eyes and lifted his glasses to rest over his nose again. He could see Eren's blurry figure running off in the distance.

Levi typed away on his laptop for a couple minutes more before saving his document and shutting the lid. He stretched his left arm across his chest and then his right.

'_What was that guy's name again? Jaeger…Eren? Right, it was Eren.'_ He placed his laptop into his messenger bag and stood up._ 'He's the stubborn one…'_

Levi lifted the bag straps over his shoulder and walked out from shadowed area. He glared at the beams daring to blind his sight. Levi reached for his glasses and folded them before stuffing them into his pocket, leaving a hand at rest upon his forehead to blockade his eyes from the uncomfortable gleam of yellow.

Levi stepped into his economics classroom and slouched in his seat, lazily pulling out his notebook, letting it fall onto his desk with a "plop".

"Hey Levi, you're finally here!" A woman with brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and glasses, slipping off of the end of her nose exclaimed.

"What do you mean finally? I'm here at the same time every day you moron." He turned to the woman next to him in disgust and frowned.

"Hey hey now Levi, you can't just talk to ladies like that." A short blond by the name of Erwin interrupted.

" First off Erwin, I could if I wanted to and second of all I don't see any ladies around here anyways, unless you may be referring to Hanji over here but I'm sure she's more related to a swine than a woman." Levi's monotone insults were something they all expected on a daily basis.

"Oh Levi! That's a cruel one!" Hanji shouted, fake tears streaming down her face.

"Ew, cut that out. You look more disgusting than before." He snarled, turning his attention away from the aggravating woman.

Erwin could only cover his face with a hand and take in a deep breath, hoping soon that the lesson would begin so he'd hear less bickering between the two" friends".

* * *

"And that wraps up our lesson for today," Zackly, the economics professor, concluded as he put down a red dry erase marker. "Don't forget to have your proposals by next Monday. I'll be reminding you every day until then."

"Ehh that was horribly boring." Hanji complained while packing up her course materials.

"Tch. You actually know the meaning of the word "boring"?" Levi asked, putting away his own notebooks and pens.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hanji asked taken aback by the comment.

"Two words," Levi said, holding up a fist. "Mythical. Creatures." He held up two fingers for her to count then stood up from his desk.

"Hey! Mythical creatures are the best!" She yelled offensively. "You don't understand how perfect they are! Have you seen the recent images of big foot?" Her breathing started to increase as the various unexplained images drifted through her mind. Levi covered his ears and grimaced at her.

"H-Hanji…Are you drooling?" Erwin asked, wearily peering closely at Hanji's face.

"Heh heh probably heeehhh." She continued.

"This is disgusting, I'm leaving now." Levi's frown deepened.

"Wait Levi!" Hanji snapped back to her usual self. "Are you coming to eat with us all for lunch?"  
"Not today." He replied.

"Why not? You don't have anything better to do." She whined.

"What a rude person." He scoffed. "I'm meeting this guy in a few minutes, so I _do _have something better to do."

"HUH?! You're going to meet someone?! Who is he?" Hanji bellowed out her words without any thought. Even Erwin leaned in for this conversation. "You actually made a friend Levi?"

"Tsk, since when have I not had friends?" He asked. He couldn't take much more of this conversation.

"Well besides me, Erwin, Oluo, Gunther, Eld, Petra, and Mike, you kinda just ride solo."

"So what? This guy isn't my friend anyway; he's trying to pay me back for spilling my tea yesterday morning."

"Ha, really?" Hanji questioned while holding in a few chuckles. "I'm surprised he's not dead yet."

"Yeah well he wasn't rude about it, so I couldn't be that angry."

"Great job Levi!" Hanji exclaimed. "Better hurry off then, see you tomorrow!" She waved her hand and jogged to catch up with the others.

Levi walked in the opposite direction of his friends and headed towards the tree he was sitting beneath earlier. He could see Eren faintly in the distance with two other people. One, a young woman with a bright ride scarf and the other, a young man with shoulder length blond hair. Eren's features soon became more apparent as the tall man was once again standing over him.

"I don't know why you sat down, when you're only going to have to get up again to come inside with me." Eren said, smiling softly and shaking his head.

"Bring it outside." Levi said in his usual low voice.

"Why can't we go inside?"

"Because people are annoying and the weather is nice. Bring the drink out here."

Eren sighed. "Fine, what kind of tea do you drink?" He asked, as if there was no hope in persuading the man to go inside even if he begged.

"Hot unsweetened green tea."

"How expected." Eren muttered.

"What's that mean?" Levi asked, his eye brows furrowing at the comment.

"You just seem like the kind of person to drink such a bland and boring tea." He said looking down at Levi, slightly regretting that he could never shut his big mouth.

"What's your idea of an exciting tea then?" Levi asked sarcastically.

Eren laughed at Levi's word choice. "Well I like my tea sweetened with LOTS of honey!" Eren smiled brightly, imagining the sweet taste.

"That's…gross Eren. Hurry and get the tea. Geez." Levi lifted his hand and gestured Eren to go.

"O-okay."Eren replied. His name sounded surprisingly nice when he heard it leave the man's lips for the first time. His face burned lightly but he rubbed it off as the heat from the sun as he walked towards the café.

"Alright." Eren made his way back over to Levi. "I have one hot unsweetened green tea for Levi and one sweetened regular iced tea with extra honey for me." Eren sat down across from Levi who previously absorbed himself into a book while waiting for the brown haired man to return. He placed the book down along with his glasses and picked up his tea to take a sip.

"Thanks."

"No problem! Sorry again by the way." Eren ducked his head a bit as he looked at Levi apologetically.

"Mention it one more time and I'll purposely dump my tea on you."  
"Alright," Eren's faced scrunched up as he looked at Levi. "Er, were you reading Harry Potter?" He asked snickering a bit to himself.

"Yes, but not on my own accord. A troublesome friend of mine said it was well worth the read, but frankly I don't see it."  
"Slytherin." Eren said pointing a finger at Levi.

"Huh? Is that an insult?" Levi took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly. "You'd no doubt be a Gryffindor then because of your aggressive need to care for others."

"Thanks Levi," Eren smiled, glad to hear the praise.

"That wasn't exactly a compliment." Levi muttered.

"I guess not huh?" Eren laughed lightly, scratching the back of his head. "Honestly though, my friends tend to say I have troublesome anger issues, ridiculous right? But it's true sometimes. I can let my anger get in the way of my usual attitude and it's a bit annoying."

"Well no one likes a complete goody two-shoes anyways." Levi said locking stares with Eren.

"Y-yeah I guess." Eren fidgeted in the grass. He knew he only had about 10 minutes left to sit around but he didn't really want to leave. Not yet. He enjoyed talking with Levi even if it was only a short while and even if Levi's expression always remained the same. And for some reason, hearing words of praise from Levi sparked a keen happiness inside of him that didn't usually take form from just anyone. "L-Levi?"  
"Hmm?" Levi hummed, pulling out a napkin to clean his glasses off before looking through them casually.

"Can we meet again?" Eren asked his pulse quickening as his nerves caused the heat to swell inside of him. He hoped Levi would say yes. He hoped they could talk again, get to know each other and become friends. Besides, Armin and Mikasa had always been the only ones he'd gotten close to. A new friend with a distinct personality wasn't a bad idea.

Levi eyed Eren closely. "Why?" He asked simply. It was a wonder why Eren wanted to hang around him because literally no one else really wanted to, aside from Hanji but how appealing was that?

Eren curled in his bottom lip and thought for a second before replying. "Because I want to be your friend."

Levi's mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. This kid was really strange, he sounded like an elementary student. It was weird. But his being was oddly comforting to Levi and he couldn't say he completely minded the other man's presence. It was a nice break from his usual acquaintances.

"I-I'll buy you tea again!" Eren stuttered on impulse, alarming Levi in the process.

"God Eren, no you're not buying me more tea. My life doesn't revolve around tea just so you know. But I'll still meet with you again."

Eren perked up when he heard the agreement. His eyes were probably sparkling at this moment. Eren could tell by the way Levi's unamused face formed into more of an appalled look at this point.

"Really? When?" Eren smiled awkwardly trying to hold back the excitable grin that wanted to dominate.

"When…? How about today after school? I need to pick up a few library books anyway. You can tag along if you _really_ want to."

"Sure," Eren nodded his head trying not to sound too excited. A chance to be with a friend always made Eren giddy inside. "Okay, class will be starting soon but can I meet you here at 1:15?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Levi didn't bother returning a smile or even a nod, what did that matter though? Eren looked happy all the same, facial expressions weren't necessary. Eren could tell that Levi didn't absolutely hate him and Levi could see that Eren knew that.

* * *

"Mikasa, I'm not taking the train right after school today, so feel free to ride with the asshole." Eren shrugged unconcernedly. "I'm hanging out with Levi after school." He beamed as he took his seat next to Mikasa and behind Armin in their ENG 101 class.

"Levi?" Mikasa's eye brows dented as she ran the name through her mind. "The one you spilled coffee on?"

"Tea."

"What?"

"Tea. I spilled tea on him." Eren pointed out.

"Alright, but is he the one you're going to see?" Mikasa questioned as Armin turned around to join in.

"Yeah, he agreed to let me go with him to the library later."

"He agreed?" Armin repeated. "You make it sound like it took you a lot of effort to get him to want to hang out with you."

"Well I wouldn't say "effort"….but he isn't really the sociable type from what I can tell. He didn't say yes right off the back." Eren explained as he thought back to Levi's unexcited face earlier that afternoon. " Doesn't matter though. This'll be the third time we meet and third time's the charm. We'll be good friends in no time." Eren nodded while pulling out a blue spiral notebook.

"Why do you want to be _his _friend so badly?" Mikasa asked, steadily watching Eren's movements and expressions. Eren rolled his eyes at the emphasis on the word "his".

"I don't know Mikasa," Eren began impatiently. "Maybe blunt honesty is a characteristic I like in a friend."  
"Or maybe you prefer short friends with horrible personalities." She caviled.

"You couldn't possibly know what kind of personality he has," Eren retorted coldly.

Armin's eyes flickered back and forth between his bickering friends.

"You sound like a teenage girl defending her delinquent boyfriend." Mikasa derided, her face still portraying its usual unemotional features.

Eren's calm demeanor was beginning to take a turn.

"Now you're just saying stupid things!" Eren snapped. "Even if I was a teenage girl, I'd sure as hell pick out better guys than you do." He lampooned.

"You barely know him." Her lips quivered slightly at the direct attack towards her.

"Sheesh! You took the words right out of my mouth!" Eren threw a hand up in annoyance. "Mikasa, you-"  
Armin lifted his hands to both of their mouths. "That's it you two. I can only listen to your sibling quarrels for a certain amount of time. I even let you run over for this one." Armin interrupted. "Mikasa, maybe Levi's not a bad guy. And Eren maybe Jean's not so bad a person either." He moved his hands from covering their mouths.

"How did you know about Jean?" Mikasa asked quietly, making brief eye contact with Eren who in return shrugged his shoulders and faced Armin, wondering the same thing.

"Why do _you two _look so surprised?" Armin placed his elbow on Eren's desk and leaned his cheek against his palm. "Jean is the only one who infuriates Eren enough to be nicknamed "asshole"." He sighed. "And I've known you two my whole life; wouldn't it be weird if I didn't notice? No point in keeping secrets from me." He looked up and smiled.

"It wasn't a secret. It's just that I only told Eren last night…"

"Friend intuition." Armin said before their teacher, Professor Hannes, walked into the class and greeted everyone with a hearty hello. Five minutes late, as usual.

* * *

"So what books are you picking up?" Eren asked as he and Levi walked to the school library.

"Economics related ones. Preferably ones that can help me format a suitable proposal to turn in." Levi said as he pulled on the library door handle and gestured for Eren to go in.

"Thanks," Eren mumbled languidly. "Wait. Are you majoring in economics?" He asked quickly with exhilaration.

"Keep your voice down." Levi hissed glaring up at the intrigued man. "Do you know what a library is?" He sighed as Eren threw his hands over his mouth instantly and nodded. "Good, and yes, I'm majoring in economics."

"Really?" Eren whispered. "That's interesting because-" Eren's voice descended into lower than a whisper now.

"Now I can't hear you." Levi said as he turned into an aisle of books, skimming his eyes across the rows of colored book spines varying from "How To's" to "…For Dummies" titles.

"I was going to say that my dad is an economist. I think it's a pretty boring job, really it just hurts my head to watch him work." Eren groaned rubbing his forehead. "What's so interesting about it?"

"Nothing," Levi replied as he pulled out his reading glasses and adjusted them over his nose. "It's an uninteresting subject but it only takes common sense to figure out."

'_Seems like a lot of important thinking to me.'_ Eren thought as he remembered images of his dad working for hours behind his desk even after he got home from work that day.

"Guess it all depends on how you go about the situation." Levi said while trailing a finger over several book titles, searching for guides on how to write his proposal.

Eren's eyes flicked up and down at the books. He laughed quietly to himself before pulling out a book titled, "How to Come Out For Dummies". He flipped through the pages, snickering every so often at the various instructions and precautions of letting others know you're into the same sex.

"Didn't know you were looking for your own books here Eren." Levi said as he walked behind Eren to view another shelf of book.

Eren zipped around to face Levi fearfully. His face was reddened from embarrassment and humiliation.

"No! I'm not- I wasn't looking because I need this book!" Eren stammered loudly causing a few people to turn and stare.

Levi grimaced and put a finger to his lips. Eren nodded again at the inference for him to be quiet. He turned around and slid the book back into its open space as he sighed.

Eren glanced about again and spotted another book, this time, more closely pertaining to Levi's tastes. "Proposals are Your Friends" was the title.

"Hey Levi," Eren softly called. "How about this-" He cut off his own words. Levi sat on the floor, legs crossed, and eyes focused. Eren stared for longer than need be as his thoughts revolved around Levi's appearance. His petite hands lightly grasped onto the book's edges and fingers delicately pulled across page corners every few seconds. Levi's eyes moved horizontally down the pages in concentration. Did he even know where he was anymore? His focus looked unbreakable. Not only that, but Eren would be lying if he said Levi didn't look good in glasses. And good was an understatement here.

Eren's stomach tingled with an affectionate sensation. He suddenly wanted to touch Levi .It didn't click to Eren why but he felt he needed to. His hand lifted slightly and began to slowly stretch out in front of him.

"Eren?" Levi's voice jolted Eren back into a conscious state of mind.

'_What was I about to do?'_ The thought repeated in Eren's mind, putting him in an uncomfortable quandary about the situation.

"Eren, what's wrong with you?" Levi asked looking up at Eren in confusion. "The more I Iook at you, the more of an idiot I think you are."

Eren frowned at the insult and cleared his head, noticing the other's tiny fingers curl tightly around the book pages.

"Wait, Eren, are you getting bored? You don't have to stick around…I know this was a bad place to pick but-"

Eren bit his bottom lip to fight back another careless smile.

"I'm definitely not bored Levi," He assured crouching down to meet at eye level with the other man. The concern was cute, the fidgeting was cute, and the glasses…oh they were definitely cute. But cute wasn't a way to describe another man. That wasn't the real issue though. The real issue was what to say about the man who describes another man as such.

Eren's heart flickered again and again now. The undeniable pieces were falling together but Eren couldn't quite figure out the puzzle. He did at least understand that he valued his time with Levi. More so than he should have after only meeting the guy yesterday. He hesitated briefly before speaking again.

"Do you have class tomorrow?" He asked. It was typical for students of their college to have at least one weekday off and Eren was hoping Levi's would be a Wednesday.

"No, I don't. Why?"

"M-My dad is off tonight, so I was wondering if you'd like to come over…and meet him. I'm sure he can help you out a lot with your proposal." Eren averted his gaze from Levi's unchanged aspect. "He's really kind and patient. If I let him know now then I'm sure he'll have no problem with it…"

Levi watched Eren for a while before answering. It would definitely be a good opportunity for him, but why did Eren look so strange while asking? Was something really wrong? Probably not. Eren was a strange kid. His face was so red though…Maybe he was sick? Levi would have no association with a house that harbored a sick man. But Eren didn't seem sick. At least not before now. No, he wasn't sick, Levi knew that much. He shrugged it off for the time being.

"I wouldn't mind that," He said in his low monotone voice. "As long as you really don't mind."

"I don't!" Eren shouted with unnecessary anticipation.

Levi could only wince and rub a hand over his face.

Eren chuckled silently as the corners of his lips lifted up.

"Sorry Levi."

* * *

**Let the lovins begin~ Well for a conflicted Eren that is...**

**I actually got this chapter out within a few days after the first and I'm hoping to keep it that way.**

**I've already started chapter 3 at least so please follow and review!**

**Thanks for reading!~**


	3. Feelings

**Thanks you guys for all the favorites, follows, and the reviews that mean so much! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or its characters**

* * *

Chapter 3

"You said today was your day off right?" Levi bundled a few helpful books in his arms and looked at Eren from behind glass frames.

Eren blinked. "Yeah, I did."

"Then why aren't you spending it with your girlfriend?"

"My…girlfriend?" Eren blinked again, this time in confusion.

Levi raised an eyebrow "The one who wore the red scarf earlier?"

"Oh! Mikasa!" Eren raised his head and brought it back down into several nods. "Mikasa is my sister, well not really but she is."

Levi blinked his dull eyes before walking past Eren. "That made no sense."

"I would elaborate, but that's a story I'm not fond of touching." Eren said trailing behind Levi.

Levi slid his school ID into a machine and began scanning the books he picked up. "Why not?"

"Hmm," Eren hummed. Several book checkout scanners beeped in the background and Levi's receipt skidded out from a small black printer. "Because it's more of Mikasa's business than mine, it doesn't feel right to tell everyone. Anyways, she'll be at my house tonight as well, obviously, because she lives there."

"I see," Levi muttered as he ripped his receipt from the machine. "Have you texted your dad yet?"

"Oh right, I forgot," Eren shrugged a hand into his pocket and reached for his phone. "I'll do that now." He began thumbing at the screen. "Was there something else you wanted to do first? If we leave now, we could take the 2:30 train."

"Not really, but I can drive us to your house." Levi settled his books into his backpack and Eren looked up from his phone.

"Drive us? Levi, you can drive?" Eren asked in surprise.

"Why are you so shocked?"

"Because…" Eren snorted and shook with laughter. "Can you actually reach the pedal?"

A sharp elbow jabbed into Eren's stomach forcing him to hunch over.

"Uhgg why'd you do that?" His hands reflexively pressed against his aching abdomen.

Levi narrowed his eyes at the pain struck man. "Can it or I'll ask for directions and just meet you at your place."

"Okay, no more short jokes. I get that now." Eren stood up straight and rubbed his stomach before following Levi who was already making his exit from the library. "This isn't a short joke…but with such small features, how are you so strong. That elbow hurt!" Eren leaned back, worried that Levi would take offense to the word "small".

There was a long pause before Levi said anything. He stood still and his eyes rested on the distant buildings.

"Levi?"

"I was a military brat when I was younger. My dad was stationed from country to country and no matter where we lived the kids always made it into a contest about whose parents were stronger and which one of them could beat the rest of us down the easiest." Levi started to walk again. "I trained a lot back then, didn't matter though because I always lost. Anyway after that my priorities changed and I ended up becoming stronger for my own reasons and not to just show off. The workouts were brutal but I still do them from time to time habitually."

_'Something is surely missing from that story…'_ Eren thought. '_But if he left it out, maybe it wasn't meant to be said aloud.'_

"That's interesting." Eren pondered what really made Levi want to be stronger than he was built to be. "Military life, huh?" He slipped his hands into his pockets and walked alongside Levi towards the student parking lot. "Have you ever considered joining the military as well?"

"I have." Levi said as he reached his backpack around to his front and pulled out a gray lanyard with only his car keys and presumably his house key secured on a key ring.

"And?" Eren asked still in tune with Levi's could-have-been military career.

"…It wasn't for me." Levi stopped in front of a black 2010 Toyota Camry and pressed a key into the lock on the driver's side. He threw his backpack against the backseat and eyed Eren. "Are you getting in?" He asked before situating himself and closing the door to the side of him.

Eren carefully swung open the door and plopped inside. "This is a nice car." Eren looked around before closing his door then tugged on his seat belt to fasten the metal into place.

"It's decent," Levi replied. "Here, input your address into this GPS?"

"Are you sure you want to drive there?" Eren asked meekly. "We could always drop off your car and walk to the station. My house is quite a bit a ways."

"My house is quite a bit a ways too, so walking to the station is a no." Levi turned the keys emitting a soft hum from the engine.

"Oh, alright then," Eren took Levi's phone and typed his address for the GPS app to read. He returned the phone to Levi who connected it to the speaker via bluetooth.

The car was silent for a few awkward minutes. Levi turned according to each direction the electronic woman gave.

* * *

"Your house isn't really that far." Levi murmured breaking the silence that disrupted any chance of a good atmosphere in the car.

"It doesn't seem like it now that I'm traveling by car. Maybe it seems far because of the train routes."

"How long does it take by train?" Levi asked without steering his eyes from the road ahead.

Eren took the time to calculate the minutes in between getting on the train and getting off of it. "About 40 minutes. Give or take a couple of minutes." He compromised.

"That long?" Levi's voice, and his voice alone, hinted with surprise. "That's more than half the time it'll take for us to get there now."

"I know," Eren sighed then turned to Levi. "But that's usual for the train system. Haven't you rode a local train before?"

"Never."

"Never?" Eren repeated in astonishment. "Trains are the most commonly used form of transportation here! Only the wealthy use cars on a daily basis."

"You sound like an encyclopedia." Levi said as he made a turn into a quiet neighborhood street. "And I've never rode a train nor am I anywhere close to wealthy."  
"Then how can you afford to use a car everyday?"

"That's frivolous information." He muttered, eyeing each house closely as he searched for Eren's dedicated address, since Eren himself, was too busy trying to fathom the idea of cars over trains . "Is that one yours?"

"Yeah, with the silver car out front."

Levi pulled into the driveway and unlatched his seat belt with Eren following alongside him. The two stepped out of the car and headed for the door. Eren already had his keys ready and was fiddling with the doorknob. He managed to unlock it quickly and open the door, taking a step inside and swiftly nudging off his shoes.

"Mom! I'm back!" Eren called from the doorstep and began walking forwards. Levi likewise took off his shoes and placed them by the door before trailing behind Eren. Levi's head moved in slow circles as he looked from one side of the house to the other. The place was nice to say the least. The front door left them in a spacious and well decorated living room. A tan leather couch sat square in the middle of the room, facing a wide flat screen about 42'' inches across. Picture frames atop the entertainment center and the chestnut colored ceiling fan hung silently above the couch.

"Welcome back Eren," Eren's mother, Carla, hummed from another room. "I've made sandwiches for lunch if you're hungry, they're in the refrigerator now."

"Alright! And also I have a friend over." Eren's shouting voice softened as he stepped closer to the room his mom was in.

_'Friend huh? I barely know you.'_ Levi's mind pondered the definition of the word "friend" but it quickly shifted on to something else. Levi stared intently at the back of Eren's head. His hair looked soft, like silky soft. _'I wonder how soft it really is...'_ He wondered, not giving the curiosity a second thought.

The sound of a plastic container being placed against wood was heard before Carla replied. "Oh really?" She asked all too excited. There was no question about where Eren must have gotten his excitement from. Levi could hear in her voice that it was rare for Eren to bring over new people.

Carla poked her head outside the room and smiled before stepping out fully. Her hands were gloved in yellow rubber and her hair was pushed back into a loose ponytail. She peeled of her gloves and walked towards Levi, extending a hand.

"It's nice to meet you," She shook his hand lightly and grinned. "My name is Carla, I'm Eren's mother."

"I'm Levi," He returned the greeting thoughtfully, though his face still looked unpleasant. Eren's mother didn't seem to mind that. The two brunettes couldn't be more similar in Levi's eyes.

Carla smiled before reaching for her gloves and snapping them back on each hand. "Okay boys, I'm going to get back to cleaning now." She leaned in close to Levi. "This boy won't even clean his own toilet." She whispered and shook her head. "That's the duty of a mother I suppose."

"Mom! What are you telling him?" Eren defended, his face flushing with embarrassment. "I do clean! ...Just not very often I suppose..." He quieted down and thought about the last time he took the effort to clean anything besides his own room. "You just get to it before I do..." He mumbled, avoiding her eyes.

"That's what you always say," She laughed and went into the bathroom. "Also, Mikasa should be home soon, she stopped to eat after school with a friend. Tell her to come see me when she gets in, in case I can't hear the door."

"Sure." Eren agreed. She probably just wanted to gossip about Mikasa's new love interest.

"So my dad comes home in about an hour and a half," Eren turned to Levi. "Should we watch a movie? Then he'll be here in no time."

"That's fine with me. What kind of movies do you own?"

"All genres." Eren said, beckoning Levi to follow him back into the living room. "Here, take a look at these." He popped open a wooden cabinet door to reveal shelves stocked with DVD's.

"Oh, impressive," Levi nodded. "How about I choose the genre and you choose the movie?" Levi asked, looking up at Eren now.

"Alright, then which genre?"

Levi folded his arms and skimmed the titles.

"Mystery/ Suspense." He decided after some consideration.

"Sounds good to me." Eren glanced over the titles and pulled out a black DVD. On the cover was a bloodied knife giving away a reflection that revealed a blurred man. "Have you seen this one?" Eren tilted the DVD's front in Levi's direction.

Levi's eyes stumbled down the black box then flicked back up to Eren. "No. Play it."

The DVD case expanded horizontally and Eren pressed his thumb against the rim binding the DVD in place before carefully peeling it from its case.

"Okay." Eren nodded, inspecting the glinting disk encircled around his finger.

* * *

"Eren, this doesn't make any sense. If the police knew that this man had a motive to kill his wife, then why did they literally question everyone besides him? It only makes sense to question the husband first anyways. Dumbasses." Levi muttered the last word and without moving his head, he glanced at Eren from the corner of his eye. He frowned at the narrowed glimpse of Eren soundly sleeping his time away, huddled to the opposite side of the couch. Sure, the movie wasn't great but how'd the guy fall asleep so soon. They were only about a half hour in. Levi clicked his tongue and let his attention fall again on the television screen.

"He went to bed late last night." A new voice peaked Levi's attention. He cocked his head to follow the voice leading to a tall dark-haired woman wearing a red scarf that hardly matched the lime green hoodie beneath it. Her clouded eyes remained on Levi, watching him intently, while at the same time, showing no signs of urgency towards the short man residing on her family's couch now. When did she walk in?

"You must be Mikasa," Levi's voice was unnerved and dull, matching his face exactly.

"It's nice to meet you..." Mikasa returned the expression and her eyes met Eren's sleeping face again. "Levi."

Levi's eye brows drew closer together in slight confusion though his eyes stayed focused and narrowed.

"Eren talks about you." Her sentences were short and to the point. "I'm sorry he spilled...tea on you." Her apology sounded sincere leaving Levi to relinquish his previous confusion.

_'I guess he would talk about that. What else could he talk about?'_ Eren no doubt would have told his friends about that accident but for a split second Levi had wondered if that reckless man may have just spoke about Levi to them out of sheer interest. He couldn't decide if he hoped for that or if a standard cliché was just passing through his train of thought.

"He was a little too excited to get together with you after class today." She continued, her focus only on Levi now. "He talked about that too."

The corners of Levi's mouth twitched at the selected words. It was certain. Levi had hoped Eren talked about him in a way that didn't involve a drenched jacket and a pissy looking man on the floor.

_'Why would I care? Maybe I'm suddenly interested in young idiotic boys?'_ He released a short breath, scoffing at the idea. '_Highly unlikely.'_

Maybe it was the sense of importance. Levi couldn't deny it, as much as he'd like to, but it didn't feel half bad for someone to consider him important enough to get excited over. Even if the person in question was an airheaded brat. He was an airheaded brat who _wanted _to spend time with Levi, unlike his friends who probably felt obligated to just talk with him only because they knew exactly where he came from, rather _what_ he had come from. Eren didn't know the full story, yet he still put out the extended effort just to remain acquainted with Levi. That was enough to arouse at least some sort of feeling in Levi's chest.

He turned to look at Eren. He slept so pleasantly for being curled in such a cramped position. His chest heaved up and down slowly, following the rhythm of each soft breath that slipped through his half-parted lips. Levis' chest strummed uncomfortably at the sight. He drew his attention away from the sleeping youth and back to Mikasa.

She inhaled a deep breath and spoke again. "I don't know you, but I know Eren, _very _well," She emphasized and now Levi's stomach felt an afflicted churn within it. "And he's a fragile guy, so please be kind to him. His emotions spiral but he always means good by what he does."

Levi's features softened as he raised a hand up in agreement. "I can see all that already," he sighed. "I'll be good to him."

"Thank you." She gripped the straps of her backpack and made ready to leave, her back facing Eren and Levi. "Wake up Eren, that's no way to treat a guest!"

Levi's eyes grew with mild surprise. '_So she could talk louder.'_

A low yawn emitted from behind Levi. Eren's half-lidded eyes gazed around the room in a daze. They rested on the man sharing a couch with him before instantly widening.

"Levi, I fell asleep? Why didn't you wake me up?" Eren's voice shook as a wave of guilt struck through him.

"You looked really nice sleeping there, I had no reason to wake you." Eren's chest thumped at Levi's reply and he could have sworn his face was feeling warm again. "And the movie is still on so you haven't been asleep that long evidently."

"S-Still..." Eren stammered. "It's rude to fall asleep while a guest is here, especially if it's you that's here." He muttered the last part more so to himself than to Levi.

"That's what Mikasa said as well."

"Mikasa was here?" Eren's face formed in between confusion and worry. "Did she say anything...weird?" He asked, partially not wanting to know what she said at all.

"She said that you were really excited to hang out with me and that I should be kind to you." Levi's expression remained unaltered as he repeated her earlier words of wisdom.

"She said...uhgg has she ever heard of embarrassment?" Eren pressed his hands to his forehead and shook his head. He let his hands fall against his lap and looked up at Levi, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry. It's weird enough that I bombarded you with tea offerings but now I must just seem strange." He scratched the back of his head and avoided the eye contact. "I've only known you a couple of days but I'm probably annoying you and I didn't even realize it until now. Lame huh?" Eren's eyes left their wandering route and focused hard on his hands. "You definitely do not have to listen to what Mikasa said."

"Are you an idiot?" Levi raised an eye brow and pierced Eren with an icy stare. "Do you think I'd be here if I didn't want to be? Yes, your dad can be a great help with my proposal, but I sure as hell would rather read a guide than go home with some kid I can't stand."

Eren's hopeless expression was hauled away and replaced with bafflement now. So he wasn't a nuisance to be around? That was a surprising relief. Eren had always been the type to be pushy with his friends and quick to form close relationships with them which only managed to drive everyone away. Levi seemed different though. His words were backed up with honesty and it's possible he didn't really mind sharing his free time with a persistent guy like Eren.

Levi rolled his eyes and faced the television yet again. "Now I missed a good portion of the movie. Stay awake this time." He lingered his view on the T.V and Eren nodded his head. Levi watched the people on the screen frantically scatter and run from room to room pursuing the killer in what seemed to be a hospital. A strange place for an encounter but Levi had missed the explanation behind that. Even now he could barely keep his attention on the movie. Talking to Eren any longer was no good though. Levi felt strange. His heart pattered at an unusual pace. It wasn't a feeling he was accustomed to, actually it was new altogether. From the corner of his eye, Levi watched Eren. His short trimmed brown hair smoothed over and a few strands guarded his turquoise eyes. He sat properly on the couch now and folded his arms over his lap, leaning towards the T.V. Eren's face appeared red again, at least it hinted at it. The guy wasn't half bad looking, for a man that is.

Throughout Levi's life, he'd never looked to someone as attractive. It seemed that an interest in the actual person had to spark first before any gawking would even begin to take place. And after all this time, there hadn't been a person out there who'd interested Levi personally and then physically.

Eren's body was molded pretty well for someone who looked like a lazy sleepaholic. He must have covered a lot of walking distance considering he never drives himself anywhere but that wouldn't have been enough to create what he is now , the rest was given to him naturally.

Levi's eyes skimmed every part of Eren for who knows how long before the grinding sounds of metal shook him back into reality.

"Hey dad," Eren welcomed while standing up to greet his father and gesturing for Levi to stand up as well. "This is my friend Levi, the one I texted you about." He placed a hand on Levi's back and propelled him towards the taller man with circle rimmed glasses.

"Hey there Levi," He reached a hand out and gripped Levi's within his own then nodded in approval. "Good grip, good kid. Teach my son a thing or two about that will you?" A deep laughed emerged as Eren sighed. More embarrassment was exactly what he needed. Eren couldn't return a firm grip but he could win a fight if he needed to and that's really all that mattered to him on that issue.

"Of course sir, and thank you for taking the time to work with me, I truly appreciate you going out of your way." Levi's words were far from reflecting his facial image.

_'It's a good thing I warned my dad about Levi's indifferent features before they actually met.' _Eren breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Sure, anything to help a friend of my boy's." He patted Levi's shoulder. "Let me go and greet Mikasa and my wife and then I'll be right back."

Levi nodded and allowed him to walk past.

"Your parents are both very bubbly people." Levi turned to Eren.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all."

_'But I wonder which one he gets his supposed anger problems from.'_

"Anyway, my dad's name is Girsha Jaeger. You can call him Girsha or Mr. Jaeger, I don't think it matters to him." Eren stepped close to Levi now. "Now that you've met my whole family, when do I get to meet yours?" He asked smiling downwards with an apparent annoyance glaring back up at him.

"What are we dating? You're not meeting my family."

"What? Why not?" Eren's eye brows slanted down putting him on the defensive side. "You'll never let me come over?"

"I didn't say that," Levi looked away as the uncomfortable feeling decided his chest would be a nice place to call home for a second time now. "But the chances of you being able to meet them at this point is zero to none."

"And why's that? Are they gone because of work?" Eren pressed question after question, all to be answered with deluded word choice and subtle meanings. "That's right, you're part of a military family, that must be why they're gone so often right?"

"Something like that," Levi mumbled. "My dad is gone because of work and I guess you could say my mom tagged along."

Eren felt bad that he couldn't meet Levi's family just yet, not even Levi could see them at this point, but Levi did say that Eren could possibly come over sometime and that would be close enough for the time being.

"Okay, Levi are you ready?" Grisha returned to the room with a coffee cup and a pen. "We can use the kitchen table to lay out your material."

"Alright." Levi grabbed his bag from resting against the side of the couch and strolled behind Grisha.

Eren watched them leave and take their seats in the dining room, which was visible from the living room so while watching T.V, Eren could potentially tune into them if he really wanted to. And he did. He wanted the chance to watch Levi without some kind of insult being thrown at him.

Eren could only faintly hear their discussion, not that it'd have any importance to him anyways, most likely it would only prove to cause him a another economic related headache. In this case though, seeing was most definitely better than hearing. He watched Levi adjust his glasses every so often and scribble down notes while his father spoke with seriousness that always reverted back into laughter. Levi looked damned smart with glasses and a pile of books around him. He made a couple of familiar glares at Grisha's humorous gestures and even while glaring he still managed to look good. Eren wished he was the one being glared at and he was the professional economics major but Levi was in the senior class so that option was impossible from the get-go. Eren just wanted Levi's attention. Strange ideas formed in Eren's head and he couldn't grasp the reason for why these ideas came with such a strong need to act on them. He wanted to lace his fingers through Levi's hair and drag his hands down the man's neck. Would it be warm or cold? He wanted to find out, he wanted to pull Levi in tightly and embrace him, submerging himself in the smell and the feeling of having the older man pushed against him.

Eren's thoughts ran rampant as he continued to stare at Levi who didn't seem to take notice. Eren thought for a second or two that he caught his dad looking back at him but his mind was too far gone for that thought to have any importance now.

* * *

It was 1 am when Eren awoke to the familiar voices of his dad and Levi joining him back into the living room where he had again, fallen asleep curled into the corner of his couch.

_'It's this late already?'_ Eren glanced at his phone in shock. This was exactly why he wanted to make sure Levi had no classes for the next day.

Eren sat up and tried to press his hair back down with no luck, surely strands were darting in every direction by now.

"Thank you again Mr. Jaeger, I'm sorry to have kept you up so late tonight." Levi shook Grisha's hand again and began prepping his backpack to leave.

"Sure thing, I can talk economics all day long and I can guarantee you an A with that proposal but are you sure you wouldn't like to sleep over, the couch pulls out into a bed?" Grisha worriedly tried to persuade Levi. The question woke Eren up completely now.

"No thanks, I'd better get back, otherwise I'll overstay my welcoming. It was a pleasure to be allowed over, thanks for inviting me." Levi's attention was brought to Eren now.

"N-no problem. You can come over anytime."

"Alright." Levi laughed huskily.

Eren got up and stretched over the couch to assist Levi out the door.

"I'll see you soon Eren." Levi said before he pulled out his keys and heading for his car. He unlocked the door with a loud beeping noise that sent a nearby cat fleeing the area. Levi waved to Eren abruptly then climbed in and pulled out of the driveway.

Eren closed the door behind him and sighed. He shut his eyes and slumped to his room but was stopped midway by a hand on his shoulder.

"Levi's a good kid Eren, how'd you find him?" Grisha gripped his son's shoulder, barely holding him up from falling then and there onto the floor to sleep.

"I actually," A long yaw escaped his lips. "actually spilled tea on him and now we're here, okay, goodnight dad."

"Not yet Eren." Grisha shook his head. "He's a bit strange at a first glance, do you really like him?"

"I do dad, I think we'll be great friends." He yawned again, this time trying to walk forward but was still bound in place.

"...Do you like him differently than you do Armin and Mikasa?"

"What does that even mean?" Eren's eyes remained closed but his frown deepened at the question.

"The way you look at him...Actually never mind that Eren. If you don't know then it's fine the way it is."

"Alright dad, goodnight dad." Eren drifted to his room and plummeted face first against his pillow. He couldn't remember when but at some point, he took the effort to leave the couch, change into pajamas, grab a sandwich and take care of his nightly routine.

_'Do I like him differently than Mikasa and Armin?'_ The question repeatedly spun around in Eren's mind. _'I'd be lying if I said it's the same...everything I thought about earlier were exclusive to Levi only. Damnit, what's that old man trying to say? He had better not be implying anything because there's no way I'm in love with Levi if that's-'_ Eren's heart picked up in pace at the words love and Levi together in the same sentence. He did have strange feelings that he was only aware of when Levi was around but that couldn't mean that he truly liked him in _that_ way. He hardly knew him. And he is a _him_. That should have been the first signal telling Eren that such feelings were wrong. They didn't feel wrong, on the contrary, they felt so right that he could've acted out every thought and never once questioned the gender of the person he was with. It didn't matter then. All that mattered was that he knew he wanted Levi.

Eren grumbled into his pillow and turned onto his side. He wanted to organize his feelings and give a meaning to them but right now, he just needed sleep.

* * *

**Thank you for reading again c:**

**Please review and follow for the next update!**


	4. Realization

**Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites!~ I really love you guys who review the chapters individually and make me feel like it's actually interesting to the readers u I love you :u: Anyway I've got chapter 4 out!~ Feelings are established here guys this is what you've come for. The relationship will progress more but who doesn't love the moment where the relationship initiates?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or its characters**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Chapter 4

Levi shivered against his bed and reached for the livid blanket that barely shielded his feet from the cool air lingering in his room. He stretched the warmth over his body and tucked it beneath him trying to warm up and fall back to sleep. It didn't work, he was already awake now. He stared at his window, rays of light split between the blinds and illuminated specks of the room.

Levi bravely exposed an arm to the chills of the air and grabbed his glasses before he lifted his phone from its charging spot on the nightstand. He pressed the lock button to check the time. 3 pm. Levi's tapered eyes grew in surprise. Last night he did stay up an extra few hours after he returned home so he could do the finishing touches to his proposal, but he didn't expect to sleep in this late.

A groan arose from his throat once he noticed the alerts that spammed his lock screen now.

[ (5) Missed calls and voicemails : Hanji

Hanji: Answer Levi 2:32 pm

Hanji: Are you awake? 2:14 pm

Hanji: Please reply soon 1:50 pm

Hanji: Ignoring me again huh? 1:24 pm

Hanji: I need to ask you something! 12:56 pm

Erwin: Would you like to go out and eat with everyone later? 12:55 pm]

_'All of that fuss just for one simple invitation that she didn't even mention.' _ Levi rubbed his forehead and pressed a finger against his phone to swipe across the screen though his chance faded away as Hanji's name lit up the screen along with an "Answer" and "Decline" option.

"What a surprise." Levi muttered to himself while simultaneously accepting the call and pressing the screen against his ear.

"Hel-"

_"Finally you answered!" _Hanji's voice rang through the receiver issuing a wince from Levi's side. _"What have you been doing? I've tried to get a hold of you all day!"_

"Quiet down idiot, I've been asleep." Levi had a few more choice words he wanted to use against this troublesome alarm clock but decided otherwise.

_"Really? You've been asleep until three? That's ridiculous, who sleeps that long?" _She chuckled towards the end of her question.

"Apparently I do." Levi's low voice filled with nothing but anger, not that it even frightened the annoying woman in the slightest. "I stayed up doing that proposal due in our economics class." He heard a short gasp from the other line letting him know that she hadn't even thought about it since the day it was assigned to them. "So you didn't even begin? What a shame, mine is practically perfect due to the help from a certain economist I was so grateful to meet."

_"Wait, you had help from an actual economist? No wonder you're finished already, that's cheating!" _She was yelling again through the phone that was now about 4 inches away from Levi's ear.

"It's not cheating, it's called utilizing my resources."

_"Whatever, it's still unfair," _Hanji pouted._ "How'd you meet him anyway?"_

"He's Eren's father. Though the kid himself doesn't really care for the idea of economics at all."

_"Eren? Who's Eren?" _Hanji's voice wasn't exactly blaring anymore so Levi rested it against his ear again.

"He's the one who made my tea spill all over myself."

_"Ohhh, deadmeat." _It clicked in her head who he was talking about now.

"Deadmeat? Didn't we discuss that I didn't feel the urge to kill him?"

_'Unlike how I feel towards you sometimes.' _Levi sarcastically thought in the back of his mind.

_"We did, but if he did it once then something similar will probably repeat and when it does, he's deadmeat."_

"He does seem like the clumsily type so you're probably right." Levi humored.

_"Clumsy type? Heh-heh." _And there was Hanji's famous creeper laugh she always did before getting over excited about something._ "Say Levi? If he's clumsy he must also be the cute type right? Is he cute? Oh does he like mystical creatures?!"_

"No, I'm pretty sure he doesn't give a shit about mystical creatures." He sighed avoiding the first question.

_"Well is he cute then?" _She asked, her excitement dying down.

Levi groaned in frustration. "I guess he is." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what time are we planning on going to eat?"

_"Huh? I haven't even asked you about that yet." _her voice sounded just as confused as it was noisy.

"And that's your problem."

_"What do you mean?" _

"I mean, earlier Erwin asked me if I'd like to go out with you all later."

_"He did?"_

"He did. And he did it in one simple message. Did you hear me? _One _message not five."

_"Okay I get it but when you don't reply quickly I get worried." _Hanji's words softened.

"Worried about what?" Levi asked impatiently, emphasizing his last word.

_"I don't know, worry can stretch through a million possibilities." _She tried to explain.

"Yeah, appreciated. But not really so cut it out, I'm fine."

_"Wah Levi, you're so mean!" _Hanji wailed startling Levi back into annoyance.

"Is that your catchphrase or something?" Levi's voice was growing louder into the receiver. He noticed and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Now what time are we going and where?"

_"That's my Levi!" _Hanji laughed while Levi rolled his eyes. _"We're meeting at six o'clock at Shina. You know that restaurant by our school?"_

"Yeah, I've driven by it before. Alright I'll be there at six."

_"Great! See you later then!" _The phone beeped and Levi's monochrome background replaced the calling options.

He sighed, sent a quick message of approval to Erwin, then placed his phone back down on to the stand. Levi stood up from the bed, used the bathroom, grabbed a water bottle, and sat back down to review his proposal because who knows how many kinks would be left after only revising it during the early hours of the day?

After another hour of diligent and persuasive editing, Levi was convinced that his proposal was the closest to perfect that it would ever be. It was a little after four now giving Levi plenty of time to get dressed and drive over to Shina.

* * *

Eren stared at the closet doors next to his bed. His morning mainly consisted of figuring out what exactly was wrong with him. His thoughts constantly wrapped around the same conclusion each time he thought out a scenario but a conclusion like that couldn't possibly be true. There was no way he could like Levi as anything more than another friend. Eren shook his head frantically for the umpteenth time. It didn't make any sense, he had only met the man a few days ago, not that he was against the idea of love at first sight but for him it just seemed impractical. He could argue though that he had found quite a few things that he admired about Levi. For one, Levi was one of the few people who probably wouldn't have threatened to beat Eren to a pulp after spilling steaming liquids on a nice jacket. Two, he was definitely smart and serious about what he needed to accomplish. And three, even if his face said otherwise, Levi never seemed to get tired of Eren being around, at least during the few hours that they actually had spent together. Eren's friends were intelligent and nice too but when those traits were applied to Levi, it was just more attractive.

Eren nearly suffocated himself by burying his face into the bundle of blankets encasing his body. He released a strained groan at the thought, but he knew that Armin and Mikasa knew him more than he even did.

Eren rolled onto his back and sprawled out on the bed facing the ceiling. He picked up his phone and navigated to his messages with Armin. He began typing out the characters, phrasing a question that asked if Armin would be able to come over soon since there was still time before Eren needed to go to work. Within minutes a buzz caught Eren's attention and Armin's message let him know that his friend could make it in about 45 minutes since he also rode the train.

* * *

"Eren," Mikasa peeked through the door of the dim-lit room. "Armin is here, he said you asked him to come over."

Eren didn't move. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Tell him to come here, and you come too."

Mikasa hesitated while she tried to read Eren's face. She wasn't sure what to expect but she had a faint idea. A very _small _idea about what could be on his mind, or more specifically, who was on his mind. "Alright, he's talking to mom right now but I'll go get him." She watched him for a while as his head nodded up and down.

Mikasa closed the door and Eren could hear her footsteps fade away. He inhaled again and released a long breath of air. This wasn't going to be easy. It's not that he didn't trust his friends but everything about this was just wrong. It all may very well lead to the worst conversation he's ever had.

A few fast paced knocks startled Eren. He sat up against his headboard as Armin and Mikasa walked in and sat wherever there was room.

"Okay Eren, you've got me all the way over here, what's wrong?"

Eren struggled to find the words he wanted to say. "It's...It's about Levi."

"Levi..." Armin repeated. "What about him? You guys are getting along right?"

"They are." Mikasa assured, lacking the visible worry that Armin had. "I made sure the other night that he would treat Eren well."

"Don't remind me," Eren brushed his fingers across his face and glared at Mikasa. "That was embarrassing."

"It was necessary." She gave a dull reply.

"It wasn't!" Eren fired back and sighed again. These deep breaths he's been taking were becoming a bad habit.

"Eren, Mikasa, can we not do this for one day?" Armin shot furious glares to both of the bickering siblings, silencing them with the stare. "Good. Now tell us what's wrong Eren."

"W-Well..." He figured at this point it was probably best to just cut to the chase. "I think I...like Levi as more than a friend. But I'm not sure." his words lowered along with his head and by now his face must have looked like a prize winning tomato.

"Oh." Mikasa and Armin both uttered the word as their eyes focused on Eren.

Eren couldn't bring himself to look at them. His legs squirmed under the blankets, trying to adjust to the uncomfortable feeling that overwhelmed him now.

"Why?" Mikasa finally asked as they were all registering what Eren had confessed to. Mikasa had a hunch that this was about Levi but to think that Eren would have fallen for the guy was an idea that never so much as even crossed her mind.

Eren met her eyes then averted them to the side. "There's something really admirable about him. I can't really explain it all, but I've never felt this way about any other friend. There's so much to know about him even though I've learned practically nothing about him. It's strange and even annoying because I don't totally understand why I feel like this. I can't stop thinking about him and it doesn't even make sense." Eren's voice grew louder and the built up frustration seeped out. "And the worst part is, that he's a man! " Eren shifted his attention to both of his friends as the guilt reflected in his eyes. "It's wrong for me to like a man isn't it? And having a man like me back is too absurd to even think of!" He buried his face in the palms of his hands. "What's wrong with me? I need your help. I need you guys to tell me what this really is. Tell me, I'm over thinking my friendship with him." Eren pleaded into the warmth of his hands.

"Eren," This time it was Armin who spoke. "It's love. That's what it is. You're not over thinking it, the signs are obvious." Armin stood up and leaned down in front of Eren. He tore Eren's hands from covering his face, earning Armin a glossy glare from reddened eyes that were on the verge of leaking an unwanted stream of tears.

Armin's face filtered with shock but within seconds he regained his composure and smiled. "You're in love with Levi. There's no doubt in my mind." Armin wrapped his arms around Eren an embraced him tightly. "It doesn't matter who you love and Levi would be a fool to not love you back."

Eren rolled his eyes and reluctantly held Armin in return. Eren knew Armin wasn't speaking from experience but he'd never been wrong before and that's why he was called here. Eren's eyes loomed on his bed but eventually made their way to Mikasa. She never did show much expression but Eren could tell she wasn't angry, hurt, or disappointed, if anything her face portrayed Armin's actions pretty dead on. She gave Eren a small smile and was returned with the same.

Armin released his hold and sat back on Eren's bed. "So are you going to tell him?"

"No way. He probably wouldn't even want to look at me again." Eren waved off the idea.

"You don't know that." Armin countered, eyeing Eren with a glint of hopefulness enough for the both of them.

"I don't know, but I'd rather not take that chance."

"What's life without chances?" Mikasa shrugged and looked away.

"You would know," Eren smirked. "It's pretty daring to date someone who could be mistaken for an actual horse."

"Well, I'd rather date a horse than a midget any day." She tried to keep a straight face, but her smile brightened and both began laughing quietly to their selves.

"I guess neither one of us has any room to speak." Eren joked in between lingering chuckles.

"Guess not," she agreed before standing up and heading towards the door. "It's time for me to go get ready. I'm meeting my horse in shining armor soon, so good luck to us both huh Eren?" The corners of her lips lifted up and then she left.

"I should probably let you get ready for work, it's already 3:45 and you need to be there by five right?"

"Oh yeah." Eren thought about it and the time passed a lot faster than he had hoped it would. "Um Armin, thanks for coming over. I'm sorry it was just so you could listen to my annoying confusion, but I really appreciate it."

"No problem. And anything that you or Mikasa worry about has me going to, I'd be offended if you didn't tell me." Armin laughed. "Just make sure you try your best with Levi okay? Don't give up so easily and never second guess yourself. That's probably the most important thing I can tell you."

"...Okay." Eren acknowledged the advice and walked Armin to the front door. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Of course." Armin waved a last goodbye and headed down the street towards the station around the corner.

Eren closed the door and went back to his room. He definitely felt better now, his friends were great when it came to that. Eren rummaged through his dresser and found a clean work uniform. He pulled out the full uniform and tossed it on to his bed.

"Let's hope for a good day." Eren mumbled as he pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a black polo exclusively made for the Shina restaurant's employees.

* * *

"Can you pipe down, people are staring?" Levi hissed as oohs and ahhs escaped Hanji's mouth when she was inside the unfamiliar restaurant, she finally was able to visit. Going to Shina was her idea to begin with since she's always wanted to go in, but never got the chance to actually sit around and dine.

"But Levi! Look at that! And this! And...OH CAN WE SIT OVER THERE?" She cried out, darting towards a table without waiting for an answer to her own question.

"How annoying," Levi growled under his breath. "How can you stay so calm around her?" Levi looked up at Erwin, the irritation bubbling in his expression.

"Because that's just her," Erwin chuckle. "I can't change it so I let it go as far as needed."

"So you admit "she" is actually and "it"?"

"No Levi, that's not what I meant from that." Erwin sighed and sat down across from a bubbling Hanji.

Levi looked at her then back at Erwin. "Huh. Could of fooled me." He sat down next to Erwin, in a spot that Hanji's random drool wouldn't reach. Petra sat on Levi's other side and Oluo sat across from him, following Gunther and Eld while Mike took the seat on Erwin's other side. Petra giggled at the little conversation Levi and Erwin just finished and Oluo spent a good amount of time trying to figure out why she was laughing.

"Where are our menus, I haven't had a bite since last night." Levi looked over his shoulder impatiently and noticed a waiter in the distance grabbing, hopefully, a bundle of menus for them. "That better be our waiter over there or I'll get up and walk to the next restaurant over to eat."

"Calm down Levi!" Hanji laughed. "I can see him coming this way so get your panties out of a bunch!"

"What?" Levi narrowed his eyes at her comment, his death glare was interrupted by the sound of a different, yet familiar, voice.

"Hi! Welcome to Shina, my name is Eren and I'll be your-" suddenly the waiter stopped and Levi finally looked up to see if the name and voice matched the face. It did.

"L-Levi?" Eren stuttered and suddenly his face was bright red. After the conversation he had with Mikasa and Armin earlier that day, he wasn't so sure he was ready to even see Levi so soon.

Levi blinked in surprise. Eren made a good looking waiter, that much Levi could tell by a first glance. He hadn't expected Eren to work here though. He had mentioned being a waiter but he never given a location as to where he worked.

"You said your name was Eren?" Hanji questioned the nervous man standing next to her. She looked at Levi then laughed. "Is this the Eren you've been talking about?" She nudged a thumb at Eren.

Levi whipped his head in Hanji's direction giving her the coldest glare he could muster up on impulse. He didn't want Eren to know he'd spoken of him, especially on numerous occasions.

If Eren didn't look like a surprised wreck before, he did now. His first thought was that Levi had told them all about how he was a huge idiot that was running without watching where he was going and consequently, spilled tea on Levi.

"You're right Levi, he is cute!" Hanji smiled brightly at Eren, not noticing the hard facepalm and deep sigh from Levi. "By any chance do you like mystical creatures?" She leaned in towards Eren.

His color darkened another shade. He hadn't expected that.

"I- I think they're neat but it's not an interest of mine." He awkwardly replied, more focused on the unsteady patter of his heartbeat than anything else. Any faster and it'd probably break out of his chest and on to the table.

"I told you he didn't give a shit." Levi gave Hanji the death glare. Fair warning to shut her mouth before he shuts it for her. "For future reference, that's Hanji. Avoid her when possible, trust me."

"Drat, one day I'll find my cute mystical creature loving pal." Hanji mumbled, paying no mind to Levi's comment.

"Levi," Erwin chuckled and shook his head. "Hanji's a good person." He turned to Eren."I'm Erwin, a friend of Levi's."

"It's nice to meet you." Eren stretched out a hand and met Erwin's whose grip could've crushed Eren's hand in his own.

The rest of the table noticed the conversation and mummers of "Levi's new friend" shot from one mouth to another. Eren listened in and his stomach churned with butterflies. Levi actually acknowledged him as his friend, that sounded crazy enough as it was, Eren couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around the thought of Levi calling him cute. Levi's eyes moved in the direction of the rest of his fiends when he caught Eren tentatively listening.

"Hey airhead. Can we have our menus now?" He turned to Eren dully.

"Oh r-right!" Eren had almost dropped the menus several times during this encounter but he managed to place one properly in front of each guest now. It was a relief to get them out of his hands.

"What could I get you guys to drink?" Eren asked, sliding a notebook out from within his apron pocket and reached for the pen tucked above his ear.

Various cocoa-cola products were named and a few teas, one so happened to be Levi's, go figure. Eren scribbled the drinks down as fast as he heard them.

"Alright I'll be right back with your drinks and then I'll take your orders." After the shock of seeing Levi there finally sizzled down, Eren talked and grinned as if he had been doing this job every day for his entire life, then walked away and retreated behind the bar counter to make the drinks.

Levi leaned over to see where Eren was. He was still behind the counter talking to some big boned blond boy now, giving Levi the opportunity to scold Hanji.

"Why'd you say that?" He gritted his teeth, trying not to talk loud enough for everyone to hear him.

"Say what? That you said he was cute?"  
"Yes that," He sighed, and streaked his fingers through his hair. "He's going to think I'm weird now."

Erwin's head turned with each mouth movement of the two friends. He never got tired of their conversations unless he needed to break it up.

"You are weird." Hanji looked confused.

"I'm not weird." Granted, Levi wasn't the most normal person but he didn't need Eren to think he was attracted to him whether he really was or not. "Not in that way at least." Levi slouched back in his chair and folded his arms.

"Well he was pretty cute." Erwin teased, making Levi sit up again. Erwin nudged Levi and stared in Eren's direction. "I'd take what I can get if that's what I'm offered."

That earned an appalled frown from Levi. "Shut up, you're being creepy." He grumbled. Another strange feeling clouded his chest but this time it wasn't a happy one.

"And you're being dense."

"What does that mean?" Levi scowled.

This time it was Hanji's turn to move her head back and forth as the conversation carried on.

"Can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Right now?" Levi didn't look pleased with the sudden request. Erwin understood Levi's discomfort with leaving the table and nodded anyway. He got up and pushed in his chair waiting for Levi to follow along. Levi sighed. Erwin only did this when he had something important to say. This time wasn't an exception. Levi stood up and reflected Erwin's actions. The two began walking towards the entrance. Erwin put an arm around Levi and pulled him in so he could lean down and whisper to the shorter man. Levi looked back and saw Eren watching them leave. His face was marked with confusion, though it rarely wasn't.

Erwin leaned against a brick wall of the restaurant. "Levi you know, I've known you a long time and I can see right through you?"

"Yes, and I also know that you start every serious conversation with that same line, so speed this up will you?" Levi hugged his arms to fight back the chills against his skin.

"Okay okay," Erwin gave humorless laugh. "You never so much as acknowledge your friends so what gives with this kid? He acted kind of funny around us when he saw you, is there something going on with you two?"

"Define "going on"." Levi looked to the cars on the road, their lights illuminating the dim-lit street in front of them.

"Are you interested in him?"

"I am." Levi deadpanned, facing Erwin again.

"So something is going on." Erwin concluded.

"Sure." Levi responded without a hint of hesitation, his mind wasn't on the same page as Erwin's.

"Romantically?"

"...No." Levi furrowed his eyebrows. He enjoyed talking to Erwin because of how short and precise their talks were but when Erwin pried into matters that Levi was even unsure of, then the enjoyment was lost.

"You hesitated. You want something more don't you?" Blunt as usual.

"I'm not saying that," Levi's tone switched to defensive mode.

"You don't have to." Erwin smirked. "This is why the spiel about me knowing you for a long time is important in the beginning of our conversations."He laughed, the seriousness draining from his appearance.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Sure. Then what if that was actually what I wanted?"

"Then that's all there is to it." Erwin shrugged. "What is it about Eren though?"

Levi took in a sharp breath."Eren's..." Levi was at a loss for words. Why was it Eren again? Right, because it was the way he made Levi feel important, the way he lit up the moment he saw Levi , the way he trusted Levi enough to let him in his house a day after they met. Levi was special to Eren, it didn't take a genius to see that and whether it was special in a friendly way or special in a more intimate way, it still made Levi feel better than he had in years.

"I need him," Levi's dull expression remained the same. "I just met him and already he's managed to make me feel different." Levi had no problems saying how he felt, it was drawing the conclusion that he found difficulty with.

"So you're in love with Eren. I'm glad you understand now."

"You're really annoying you know that? This always ends with me explaining myself to you and then you replying as if you told me everything. How could you possibly know anything I'm trying to say before I even figure it out?"

"Refer back to the beginning of this conversation," Erwin brushed his arms and exhaled quickly. "It's getting way too cold, I'm going back inside."

"Right," Levi pressed his hands into the hold of his pockets. "...Thanks Erwin."  
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't tell Hanji so soon or else the whole restaurant will know."  
"No kidding." Levi followed behind Erwin.

"She's right though, you're weird."

Levi gave a dry laugh. "I guess so."

Erwin and Levi approached the table as Eren scribbled away at the food orders.

"There you are, you're just in time to order!" Eren beamed when he turned to see Levi and Erwin take their previous seats. "What would you guys like to eat tonight?"

Erwin elbowed Levi and winked, in return, receiving another roll of Levi's eyes. Eren's friendly smile dimmed while he studied Levi and Erwin, the two had their eyes glued to their menus now. Levi squinted closely at the plastic wrapped paper, his glasses must have been left behind. Guesses and "what ifs" stormed through Eren head like a tornado. What was the relationship between those two that made leaving together and winking a casual thing?

_'That woman did say that Levi said I was cute so maybe he's...if so, then there's no doubt in my mind that he's with that guy.'_

Eren unconsciously frowned at Erwin. The man was handsome, Eren would give him that, though he could do something with those eyebrows of his. Was that the type Levi was into? Eren's chest throbbed painfully. He wasn't that type. Just by looking at Erwin, Eren knew that he couldn't be that. Levi looked so comfortable with Erwin, even while the charmer had his arm around Levi's shoulder. Maybe they were always like that. Maybe Levi preferred stronger guys. Eren's head fell and he glanced at this own arms. He was alright, but he wasn't _that_.

"Alright, I'll go with the maximum burger, hold the onions, and a side of fries." Levi's voice shook Eren out of his self inspecting daze. He began writing down the order as Erwin gave his own.

"I'll take the same, leave the onions though." Erwin smiled.

_'Of course you would,' _Eren sarcastically mocked. He repeated back everyone's orders in his well rehearsed tone.

Eren tucked the pen back over his ear. "I'll have those right out." He ripped a page from his notebook as he turned around and dropped the pad into his apron pocket. He soon ended up behind the bar counter again. Eren's smile faded completely now. He felt a mixture between his previous happiness and new found insecurity. He tacked up the ripped order paper for the cooks to see. He sighed and began to make the drinks that another table had ordered.

"Hey Eren! What's with that face?" Eren adjusted his head to see the blond man he was talking to before, next to him now. "You look either lovestruck or constipated, and I'm guessing it's not the latter. Did you see a hot girl over there?" He looked from one side of the restaurant to the other.

"No Reiner, that's not it." Eren answered with mild frustration.

"Well there are some hot girls out there. Were you looking at men then?" He flopped an arm over Eren's shoulder and shook him playfully. "Hey if you liked men, you'd be into me right? Right?" He laughed, rocking Eren jokingly with his arm. Eren's face turned bright red again, this time with half anger and half embarrassment. Reiner lifted his draping arms and cupped Eren's chin in his hand. "You'd make such a nice girlfriend." He brushed his thumb across Eren's cheek and against his lips, making Eren frown with distaste. That comment really pissed him off now.

"Lay off Reiner," Eren squirmed out of the man's hold and continued his drinks. He and Reiner once were decent friends. Reiner had changed since then and Eren hasn't the slightest idea as to why. It was hard for Eren to get over knowing someone as admirable and then suddenly see them take a turn for the worst. It wasn't just the joking, but Reiner's personality seemed to flip more often than it should have. It was beginning to take a toll on the entire establishment and even Pixis was at a lost for what to do. No one seemed to be able to find out just what Reiner was going through.

Eren topped off the sodas and placed them onto the tray. From the corner of his eye he noticed a figure standing up in the distance. It was Levi. He watched as Levi paced to the exit and went outside. Eren looked back to Levi's table. He could see that woman, Hanji he remembered, saying something to Erwin with a look of confusion plastered on her face. Erwin only shrugged and shook his head. He mirrored half the confusion that Hanji did. He must have had something to do with the sudden escape that Levi managed.

The anger boiled in Eren's stomach. He could tell by Levi's walk that the guy was pissed off. And obviously that "friend" of his caused it. Eren took the tray of drinks and dropped them off at another table, bearing his waiter's façade.

* * *

15 minutes passed and Eren received Levi's order along with the others'.

"Where's Levi?" Eren looked worried. "I saw him get up and leave earlier, but has he really been gone this whole time?" His heart sunk. Had Levi really just up and left?

"That's what I want to know, but it will have to wait until after I eat to find out. I'm starving!" Hanji reached for her plate and Eren sat it down in front of her.

"I don't know, he seemed upset." Erwin shrugged at Eren. That must've been the way to tell he was lying.

"I could tell he was upset." Eren's bright appearance fell dark. He handed out the rest of the plates, thanked them and went into the office of the restaurant.

"Mr. Pixis," Eren knocked on the wooden door and popped a head inside. "May I go on a short break, my tables have been served for now?"

"Sure, make it fast and let Reiner know you're going out." Pixis looked up from his paperwork and smiled.

Eren nodded his head. "Thank you." He left the room and headed back out front, grabbing his jacket before he talked to Reiner. "Hey Reiner, I'll be right back. I need a quick break." Luckily Wednesdays weren't the busiest of nights so Eren didn't have to worry about the restaurant becoming packed while he was gone.

"Sure thing," Reiner didn't look up to make eye contact but he nodded and that was good enough for Eren.

Eren quickly headed towards the exit that Levi used and peered through the darkness when he made it outside. The streetlights were dim and spotting Levi wasn't an easy task. He finally found him sitting on the curb where Levi had parked his car. Eren walked over there and took a deep breath. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"I could ask the same question. Don't you have a job to do?" Levi sat with his knees bent. He shivered slightly, just enough for Eren to notice.

"You shouldn't be out here. Are you upset?" Eren didn't look worried anymore, he had found Levi so now he could figure out what was going on.

"I see none of our questions are going to be answered." Levi replied.

Eren's shoulders rose and fell again. "I'm on break and I came to check on you. Your turn."

"I'm out here to take a breather and I'm not upset." Levi said in the same way as Eren.

"You are upset."

"Then why did you ask?" The impatience inflicted Levi's words.

"I asked because I wanted you to tell me. Was it because...of Erwin? Did he do something that made you mad?" Eren's voice quieted down when he had to mention Erwin's name.

"I guess I could partially blame him but it's mainly because of you." Levi hadn't meant to give that much information because now an explanation was due. Unfortunately, being blunt wasn't something he thought about before dealing out words.

"Me? What did I do?" Eren's expression morphed into anger now. Had he disappointed Levi? Maybe Levi was tired of him already and seeing him again tonight, just annoyed him. He thought Levi wasn't like that though.

"Eren, it's-"

"No I get it," Eren cut him off. "I'm annoying I know, it's not my fault that you guys came here, I'm sorry I'm not much to look at either." He focused on the concrete beneath him in an attempt to hide his discomforted face from Levi. But his tone was enough to get Levi's attention.

Levi stood up and stepped closer to Eren. "I'll ask again. Are you an idiot?" Levi folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we briefly discuss this last night?" Eren's mouth opened as if he wanted to answer him but couldn't. "What do I even see in you?" Levi mumbled quietly enough for Eren to miss the question.

"Then why are you mad at me?" the anger switched to agitation. This didn't make sense anymore.

"Have you ever heard of jealousy? You and the gorilla you work with were getting on my last nerves." Levi was dense on some matters, but once Erwin clicked most of it into place,the rest made perfect sense to Levi. He knew what was wrong at this moment.

"Jealousy? And you're mad at me? What do I have to do with that? What does Reiner have to do with it? And what about Erwin?" The questions flooded out of Eren's mouth, never stopping to leave time for an answer to each one.

Eren's attention fell to the ground again. _'Levi is jealous...and mad at me for it? He couldn't possible be jealous over me? He had Erwin and only sees me as a friend, if even that. Armin did tell me not to second guess myself but there's no way he-'_

Eren's thoughts were silenced in a heartbeat as Levi's lips covered his own. The swift touch sent a warm chill down his body. His face flushed with heat and at this point a jacket wasn't necessary, not when his body temperature accelerated at a dangerously high level.

Levi pulled away and stared at Eren with an unexciteable look that gave the movement of his heart no justice.

"Do you understand now?" Levi crossed his arms again. Eren's eyes widened and he nodded without taking in full consideration of the question asked.

"And your answer, Eren?"

A smile snuck on to Eren's face, the corners of his mouth pushed against the pink tint of his cheeks. He grinned unabashedly and took a step closer to Levi, the fabrics of their clothes almost touched now.

"Levi, I think I've fallen for you."

* * *

**That chapter ending...it was too cliche wasn't it? I didn't want to leave it for a while but it ties in with the fic title so I just typed, saved and posted. No regrets! x3 **

**Look forward to the next chapter, it can only get cuter from here~**

**~Follow and Review~**


	5. It's Serious

**I'm sorry this one took a while. I recently got my internet turned back on (it hasn't been on since May) and I basically went on an internet binge, tearing me away from my fanfiction. Now that that's out of my system and I can focus again ha-**

**I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin nor it's characters**

Chapter 5

"Eren, I think...that was the worst line I have ever heard in my life." Levi's cheeks were stuffed between his teeth as he tried to hold back a smile that fought with the rest of his appearance.

"I didn't mean for it to sound lame!" Eren's heart raced at the embarrassment, his face shadowed with red. "I just...really like you." His words reached Levi and warmed the chilled breeze. Eren took Levi's previous spot in front of the black Camry. He patted the open spot next to him, urging Levi to sit.

Reluctantly, Levi plopped onto the concrete platform besides Eren. He stared at the lit up building he had passed by so many times before. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Eren watching him.

"Why are you grinning like that?" Levi asked facing Eren.

Eren reached for Levi's hand folded on his lap. He tangled his fingers in between the smaller ones and latched onto them tightly. Eren released a slow exhale of breath and raised his head to smile softly at the night sky blanketed with stars.

"I'm smiling because I'm happy," He looked back to Levi. "My thoughts have been filled with this."

"This?" Levi repeated.

"This, meaning us, more specifically, meaning you," Eren's head fell and his smiled disappeared. "Somewhere in between now and when we first met, my thoughts took a turn and spiraled in a direction I didn't know they could take."

Levi watched Eren shuffling his foot over the black concrete, nudging a few rocks in the process.

"Once my dad mentioned you and asked me to compare you with my other friends, it dawned on me that you were different and that I like you differently...Wait." Eren groaned and smoothed his free hand over his face. "I knew my dad was hinting at something but I never stopped to think about it until now."

"What are you talking about?"

"My dad knows." Eren shook his head slightly and let out a strained sigh. "He knows how I feel about you."

"How do you know?" Levi furrowed his eyebrows and arched forward so Eren could meet his stare.

Eren sat up straight and nervously began stammering. "It was probably because I...uh I spent longer than I care to admit, just staring at you while you and my dad were working." Eren unlinked his hand from Levi's and rubbed his face with both hands.

Levi pressed his lips into a thin line and his face became fervent as Eren uttered out more embarrassing words. "Well, did he seem angry?" Levi asked, sitting back up.

"No, but..."

_'He did say it was fine as long as I didn't understand this myself. Although I'm not too sure what that means, I'll keep it to myself.'_

"If he's not then it's fine right?"

"Right," Eren left his stare on the concrete as the thoughts of his dad jumbled around in his head. "Right." The approving reply slipped again off of his tongue without any thought.

Levi heaved a sigh and flattened his hand onto the cemented curb. He lifted himself up and placed an easeful kiss on Eren's cheek.

Eren's mind cleared of his worries and his face lit up with half excitement and half disappointment. Levi had stood up and was walking away now, back towards the building.

"Where are you going?" Eren asked trying to conceal any hint of desperation in his voice.

"My food is probably cold now and you have a job to return to." Levi stopped and twisted back just enough to see Eren. "Don't let this distract you. We'll talk about it again later." He started walking again leaving Eren to follow behind, still caught up in the moment. It was a little late to warn him about distractions.

Eren made his way to the back door after watching Levi enter through the front. He stepped inside and held his stomach. If the tingling feeling didn't go away soon, this would be a long and disastrous night.

* * *

A loud crash echoed through the small restaurant and startled expressions all faced the man who caused it.

Eren hesitantly smiled and crouched down to lift up the podium he had knocked over on accident. He regained his stance and still, everyone rested their attention on him.

"Sorry," He quietly said, retaining the shy smile. Most everyone had turned back to their food now, relieving Eren of some embarrassment but one table of students just wouldn't turn around. Eren's smile drooped and he was left unamused. Hanji, Erwin, and a select other few all gave him beaming grins. He rolled his eyes and met Levi's stare that could easily be read as "I warned you." Eren shook his head and walked back behind the counter.

Levi's friends just looked troublesome in the least troublesome of ways. They seemed mischievous but not hard to get along with. Eren smiled to himself. Everything was out of order. Typically meeting someone came with getting to know them and who they know, then becoming closer. It wasn't meet someone, fall in love within a few days, and then open up their world. That didn't matter to Eren though, how it happened didn't matter at all. He changed out the pen he used to take orders and walked over to another table; A snug family of four. No matter how everything happened, Eren was happy all the same.

* * *

Eren swung his apron over his shoulder and closed the restaurant door behind him.

"Ready to go home?" The squirmy feeling in Eren's stomach returned.

"What are you doing here?" Eren gawked at the man in front of him. Levi's group had left hours ago. Did He come all the way back here?

"I came to give you a ride home. Walking around out here is just going to get you sick. I'll be sure to avoid you if you get sick." Eren snickered at that. "Also I need to talk to you." Levi shifted his gaze and fiddled with the keys laced through his fingers. "Come on, get in the car." Eren gulped and walked towards the black vehicle.

Levi started up the engine as Eren sat down and they both fastened their seat belts. Levi pulled out of the space and left the parking lot without speaking.

"Eren, I'm serious about…_this_. You are too correct?"

"Y-yeah, I am." It didn't take Eren even a second to understand what Levi meant by "this".

"Good," Levi exhaled briskly. "I need you to remember that when I say I'm serious, I mean it."

"Why wouldn't I take you seriously?" Eren blinked in confusion.

"It's not that you wouldn't, it's that I've been told that I have a strange way of showing I actually give a shit about something. It's a fair warning that you won't be hearing mushy love confessions from me very often if at all."

Eren smirked and looked at Levi. "I expected that much." That earned him a glare. "It's not a bad thing," Eren laughed. "You are a silent person though so that means when I do hear something like that from you, it'll always be real and the happiness will probably kill me on the spot."

"And that's the kind of mushy stuff I'm talking about," Levi reached to adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "But you get my point."

Eren watched the different lights flash by them as they neared his home. At this moment he fretted returning home. Tomorrow was another day of school, but if he heard correctly from the conversation his dad and Levi had the night before then Eren was sure that Levi didn't have class again tomorrow. That meant he wouldn't able to see him for a while.

Eren's head fell and he softly stared at his legs.

"Why do you look so mopey?" Levi asked, giving Eren a quick glance then returning his eyes to the road.

"Because I won't see you at school tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day….or the next day."

"You won't but what makes you think that we won't see each other at all?" Levi looked befuddled. "I do own a car."

"I know but-"

"There's nothing to but about. I'll come visit you when we're both free." Levi rolled onto the pavement of Eren's driveway. "That reminds me," His foot eased on the brakes and the car came to a stop. "Hanji was telling me about a fair of some sorts, sounds nauseating to me but she insists that I see it," He rolled his eyes and shifted them to Eren. "Would you like to go with me? I'm sure that would ease my irritable boredom." Levi's face remained even while he waited for Eren to respond.

Eren's expression countered Levi's exactly. "Sure," He agreed while holding on to Levi's gaze. "L-Like a date?" He didn't mean to say that.

"Sort of," Levi deadpanned. "Hanji will be there but I think we'll lose track of her pretty quickly. So if you want it to be a date we can call it that."

Eren's chest fluttered at the word. He could only nod back in response; the blush on his cheeks was evidence that his head gesture was an act of shyness.

Eren unlatched his seatbelt and lightly pulled on the door handle.

"I'll see you soon then. Thanks for the ride." He smiled timidly. He was unsure of what to do in this situation. Did couples hug when parting ways? Kiss? He left it at an awkward wave.

Levi's lips folded down and he returned the wave with an abrupt raise of his hand. "See ya."

Eren closed the door and searched for his keys while approaching the front door. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Levi still in the same spot. Having someone care enough to wait for him to enter his own house was nice but just knowing that he could almost feel Levi's stare on him only aided in making his chest pound harder.

As he cracked open the door, the engine of Levi's car hummed again, the headlights illuminated the street and disappeared as they did so. Eren watched black fade into back and took another deep breath. This night only got better as it progressed. He leaned to open his door when he noticed an extra addition to the cars parked in front of his house. A shabby white bucket was left lined against the sidewalk.

'_That car…it doesn't belong to him does it?' _

It did. Eren stepped through the door and narrowed his eyes. "Why does it smell like a barn in here Mikasa? You letting animals in again?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced at Jean, comfortably placed on the living room couch besides Mikasa.

"Don't Eren." Mikasa spoke quietly, the threat visible through her eyes.

"What'd you say Jaeger? " Jean threw an arm over the couch to turn and see Eren.

"I said it stinks." Eren smirked and waved a hand in front of his face.

"I'm gonna let that go Jaeger. I'm not here to make a fool of myself in front of my girlfriend's family." Jean swatted his hand in a careless motion and rested it around Mikasa's shoulder.

"Girlfriend? Since when?" Eren's simper dissolved and he looked to Mikasa for an answer.

"Since today actually," Mikasa's pale skin reddened. She pushed a strand of hair away from her face and shied away with discomfort. "I was going to tell you as soon as you got back, but you returned earlier than expected." She faced Eren again. "Why are you home so soon anyway? Did you leave work early?"

"No," Now it was Eren's turn to blush. "Levi drove me home."

Jean decided to chime in again once an unfamiliar name was brought up. "Levi? Who's he?"

"A friend of Eren's," Mikasa turned to Jean to reply then focused on Eren again. "That's good. A car ride leaves me less worried than when you're on the train."

"Yeah," Eren scratched the back of his head and looked down.

"We'll talk later." Mikasa added. Somehow she always knew if something significant had happened.

"Alright." He gave a short nod and left for his room.

* * *

"I thought you didn't have school today." Eren arrived at his classroom only to see Levi standing next to the door, hopefully waiting for him.

"I don't. It recently dawned on me that we haven't even shared contacts yet. How was I supposed to tell you if I wanted to come over or even give you the times for Saturday?"

"It's a good thing you remembered." Eren said, now noticing that Levi wasn't wearing his usual backpack though his clothes were school typical; A long sleeved white collared shirt paired with dark blue jeans. "I'm sorry you came to the school for that though. I should have given you those details before." Eren's apology was deluded with guilt. A sorry nor a thank you could equal the amount of gas Levi must have used between now and last night. Not to mention the ride home.

"Hey, quit apologizing. I'm happier knowing I can reach you whenever I want now. That's a positive on my part. I should be thanking you for having a phone, saves me a great deal of trouble."

Eren perked at the comforting words. Levi's abstract motivations were a favorite of Eren's. He smiled and pulled out his phone thumbing the screen a few times. "Okay," He lifted the phone to Levi. "That's my number, send me a message."

Levi pressed a few select areas on his own phone while giving Eren's lit screen a few glances. He flipped his phone horizontally and his thumbs did the rest. "Okay." He locked his phone and buried it in his back pocket.

Eren almost jumped at the expected vibration and quickly looked at his phone.

"…_Idiot_…" Eren frowned at his phone then at Levi. "That's not very cute."

"I wasn't trying to be cute." The corners of Levi's mouth lifted up just enough to be called a smirk.

Eren shook his head as he usually did when he was being teased. Any form of a smile was a privilege to see on Levi's stern face so he couldn't be mad even if he wanted to. "Class is starting, so text me when you want to make plans." Eren reached for the door handle, stopping once he noticed Levi suddenly much closer than before.

"Will do." Levi mumbled. He then rose on his toes and placed a gentle kiss on Eren's cheek. He stepped back and stared at Eren's steadily heating features. Levi's face remained calm as he stepped back on his heel and walked down the vacant hallway.

'_So we say goodbye with kisses? Hell if I know but I'm glad he does.'_ Eren glided his fingers over the spot that Levi's lips brushed. He brought his hand down and pulled on the door handle again to bring himself inside the classroom.

Eren sat next to Armin and glanced around. "Where's Mikasa?"

"She's sitting by Jean over there." Eren followed Armin's gaze and saw Jean and Mikasa chuckling off to the side of the room.

"You know," Eren slouched in his chair and grazed his fingers through his hair. "I wanted Mikasa to meet new people and when I say new people I mean people who aren't absolute jerks." He shot a glare at Jean, though the man didn't notice.

"Maybe Jean isn't all that bad." Armin reached in his bag and pulled out a notebook and pen.

"Huh?" Eren leaned his elbow on the desk frowning at Armin sourly. "You've heard how he talks to me. He's definitely a jerk."

"Honestly Eren, I think you bring out the worst in Jean." Eren's face changed into annoyed confusion leaving Armin to sigh. "I mean, you both are impulsive and neither of you want to give in. Ever. You test Jean and that's why he's so obtrusive when it comes to you."

Eren ducked a hand into his own bag to pull out his supplies as he saw Professor Shadis walk in. "I'll trust your judgment here but if she comes home crying one day, I'm calling you over to help sort it all out Mr. Therapist."

"That's fine by me," Armin laughed before is eyes suddenly widened and a gasp sounded in his throat. "Mikasa told me about you and Levi! Why didn't you say anything to me?" Armin hissed bug eyed.

"Oh I uh-" Eren's jeering expression became shamefaced. "I meant to tell you but by the time Mikasa milked all the information out of me I was too tired to even think properly." Eren smiled wryly. "I can tell you after class if you want."

"No need," Armin waved a hand in front of his face. "Mikasa clued me in earlier. Tell me what it feels like though, to date someone." His eyes brimmed with curiosity.

"I can't really say yet," Eren looked down at his notebook. "I'm so happy right now." He began rolling a pencil beneath his fingers. "Part of me knows that I hardly know anything at all about him or _this_ but another part of me is sure that I know everything I need to know. Does that make sense?" Eren stilled his fingers and cocked his head up to see Armin.

"Sort of," Armin bent his eyebrows down, mildly confused. "Maybe I'll understand what you mean sometime down the line." He shrugged and turned to face the board, taking note of what Professor Shadis was writing on it.

"You will," Eren chuckled and shook Armin's shoulder lightly, receiving a laugh in return.

Eren felt a short vibration in his pocket. He moved his hand and reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He mumbled a few inaudible words that Armin couldn't interpret.

"Who's that?" Armin's smirked and peered at Eren. "Is it a text from your _boyfriend_?"

Eren's head shot up quickly when he heard the question. Just hearing the word 'boyfriend' left a whirlwind of feelings in his chest.

"A-Actually it is," He turned back down to his phone. "He asked me to come with him to some event on Saturday. He's texting me to tell me the details." Eren tapped a few keys then settled his phone on his desk. "He must have just found out the information because I saw him less than ten minutes ago to give him my phone number."

"If that's the case then maybe he just wanted to try texting you." Armin hummed.

"Yeah it'd be nice if that was the case." Eren laughed. Their giggles lowered as Professor Shadis started his lecture on what effects the surrounding people have on the human brain.

* * *

Eren's alarm buzzed at 8 am on Saturday morning. It was too early for a Saturday. He rolled over onto his side and slapped a hand over the alarm clock's snooze button before completely turning it off and sitting up against his headboard. He scratched his head hazily and started to sink back against his mattress. Eren's body jerked unwillingly. He sat up sat again, this time blinking away some drowsiness left behind from last night's closing shift. A yawn left his eyes watery while he kicked off his blanket and swung a leg over the bed.

Eren headed for the bathroom to follow his usual hygiene routine. He had showered the night before knowing how tired he would be in the morning. After brushing his teeth, washing his face, putting on deodorant, and using the toilet, Eren slipped on his good pair of jeans and a well-kept shirt. He tediously pulled the edges of his collar making sure that not a piece of fabric hung out of place.

Eren picked up the comb resting on his sink and raked it through his brown hair, letting strands here and there softly fall over his eyes. A shy smile surfaced on his face. He was going on a date and he couldn't be happier with who he was going with. He tried to push away the idea of it being a group event and mainly focused on him and Levi. This would be their first time going out together. Eren's smile only grew and the anticipation for Levi to arrive boiled in his stomach. Levi said that he would pick Eren up at eight o'clock. Exactly at eight. Eren didn't care to test the proximity of Levi's arrival so he decided it'd be best to get ready as quickly as he could.

* * *

"Eren, is that you?" Girsha walked into the living room to see Eren happily munching on cereal while watching the morning news. "You're up early on your day off. Have any plans today?"

"Mhm," Eren murmured. "I'm going out with Levi and a friend of his today." He lifted the spoon to his mouth and slurped the milk quietly before clasping the rest between his lips.

"Oh, is that so?" Girsha asked, walking closer to Eren. "Who's his friend?"

Eren swallowed quickly so he could answer his dad. "This girl named Hanji from his class apparently."

"Is it a girlfriend?"

"No."

"How do you know?" Girsha rested an elbow on the back of an armchair next to the couch.

"Because I know it's not." Eren plopped another spoonful of flakes into his mouth.

"Did he tell you that she's not?"

"He said she's a friend. I'm leaving it at that."

"So you don't really know." Girsha studied Eren acutely.

"I do. Why are you asking so many questions anyways? It's annoying. " Eren glowered at his dad.

Girsha shrugged then turned to walk down the hallway. "Just wondering."

'_What a pain. If he has a problem he should just come out and say something.' _Eren's eyes had remained unfocused on the T.V until he finally noticed the time. Five minutes till.

Eren leaped off of the couch and trotted into the kitchen, dropping off his bowl in the sink. He hurried to his room and grabbed his wallet and phone. Checking to make sure that Levi hadn't messaged him, Eren peeked at his phone then submerged it into his pocket. With only a few minutes left, he figured waiting outside would be a good choice.

Eren locked the front door behind him and edged his way to the sidewalk. He moved his head inch by inch, scanning the surrounding streets for the black Camry. Then, on cue, the vehicle turned the corner on Eren's left hand side briskly and rolled against the sidewalk.

Eren opened the car door to let himself in. "Good morning." He anxiously closed the door and strapped himself in with the seatbelt.

"Morning," Levi's one worded reply sounded fatigued. He pressed his foot against the gas pedal, pushing the car into motion.

"Even though you get to school well before class starts, you don't seem much like a morning person right now. Did you have a hard time getting out of bed?"

"No. I'm fully awake as soon as I get up every morning. And I assume you're referring to the brimming enthusiasm in my voice but that's just because I couldn't be more excited for this mystical creature fair or whatever." Levi stared at the road ahead of him with mild irritation striking his face.

"Why do you bother going to something like this if you're so annoyed by it?" Eren couldn't understand why Levi was in such a strenuous friendship to begin with.

"Because once she starts blabbing about something, that woman will not stop until you meet her needs." After a few minutes of driving Levi's peeved expression switched to a sullen one as he turned into a mall parking lot brightly decorated with pictures of dragons, unicorns, the loch ness monster and other well-known creatures.

Eren stepped out of the car in amazement once Levi had parked. "This place is huge! It's only a parking lot but it looks so much bigger! And oh!- _Ahhh_ I can smell the food from here," His eyes were glowing with wonder. "This place is so close to my house and I had no idea this was going on!" He continued to survey the event. "I would have probably come anyway if I knew about it." Eren chuckled and looked back at Levi.

"If Hanji hears you talk like that she'll never leave you alone. Let her know you're interested and you'll be rewarded with the biggest nuisance of a prize there is." Levi rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.

"Where is she anyway?" Eren asked.

"I'm calling her now." He raised the phone to his ear. "Probably got a head start after losing herself control- _We're here. … Yes, that's fine…Well hurry it up before Eren gets restless…..Yes, I brought him with me…Hanji?_" Levi looked at his phone screen. "She hung up on me."

"You didn't tell her I was coming? Maybe she hung up because she didn't want me to come." Eren spoke warily.

"No, I'm pretty sure her hanging up meant something else altogether." He locked his phone and dropped it into the pocket of his hoodie. "I'd be careful if I was-"

"ERRREEEENNNNN!" Hanji maneuvered through the parked cars in between them and the event entrance. "I had no idea you'd be here! He didn't even tell me." She gave Levi a pouting face.

"How did you even get here that fast?" He asked blankly as she slouched over regaining her breath. "I ran from the entrance. I wasn't too far in when you called." She quickly looked back to Eren. "Cute and naïve Eren." She breathed. "Now I can show you the wonders of mystical creatures. The ins and outs of everything from centaur to mermaids. You'll love it Eren, I just know it."

Eren stepped back and inch. This lady reminded him a lot of Sasha when she spoke about food. He expected her to start salivating any second now.

"Will you quit breathing on my boyfriend? It's disgusting." Levi walked over and grabbed Eren's arm, tugging him towards the entrance. Eren became scarlet as he let Levi drag his body over the asphalt.

"Hahaha! Sorry Levi! Hearing you say that sounds so funny though, say it again!" Hanji bellowed, following behind them.

"You're annoying." Levi let go of Eren's arm, leaving Eren off balance and then covered both of his ears. Levi leaned in towards Eren and whispered. "See? And you thought she'd be upset by your presence. This is worse if you ask me."

Eren giggled and looked back at Hanji who seemed more than ecstatic about the whole thing.

They all walked through the gate entrance where Hanji was stopped for another bag check but since the security guard recognized her from earlier, he let her through without questioning. He didn't want to go through that again.

"Eren, which mystical creature, that you know of, interests you the most?" Hanji didn't look as crazed now but the excitement never left her face for a second.

Eren racked his mind trying to think of all the unusual creatures he could put a name to. "Um well I think hydras are kind of cool."

"Oh that's a good one! We'll look at those first!" Hanji pulled a program guide form her purse and scanned the exhibits.

Levi frowned and looked the other way.

"Levi what's wrong? Do you not like hydras?"

"They're a little chilling. I'm not fond of reptiles and most hydras freak me out just the same."

"So you're afraid of them?" Eren chortled.

"I said I'm not _fond_ of them." He was scowling at the amusement on Eren's face.

"Okay, okay." He puffed out his cheeks trying to hide the laughter. "Hanji never mind the hydras. Let's go see your favorite."

Hanji looked up at Eren from behind her rims. "Huh? But I thought you wanted to see them?"

"Nah they can wait."

"Well okay…I already know that Levi will give me a smartass response if I ask him so we'll see my favorite, the titans." Hanji grinned at her pamphlet and walked forward. "The titan exhibit should be over there somewhere." She informed the two men following a couple feet behind her as she pointed in the direction of several lively exhibits.

"Since Hanji already knows about us, is it okay if…" Eren clutched Levi's hand in his own and strung his fingers between Levi's.

"You're going to attract unwanted attention." He ogled down at their hands then up at Eren's worried expression. He turned his gaze away and sighed. "Never mind it's fine this way." He pressed his small fingers against Eren's knuckles.

"Ooh guys I FOUND IT!" Hanji quickly turned around with her finger pointing ahead of her towards a black painted structure labeled "Titans" with a picture of what looked like a skinless human. "Now now boys, that' s cute and all but holding hands should wait until you see the real terror of the titans!"

Levi rolled his eyes and Eren gawked at her with curiosity. He hadn't actually heard of titans before.

They walked through a door and paid a dollar each to view the display. Levi paid for Eren creating a short bicker between the two that Levi won by adding in that he _did_ invite Eren.

Glass cases lined the walls of the dim lit room. The first few cases were filled with molds of oversized people, bearing no genitals and facial expressions that looked oddly placed for the terror they were known for.

"Eren you see, way back when, titans were known to eat humans and for no reason at all. They didn't need to food to survive, they just ate." She rubbed her hand over the glass case containing a titan with brown hair and a smiling face. "The people of that time locked themselves out from the surrounding world by barricading their towns with walls about 50 meters high."

Eren gazed through the glass at the different titans. "Why is this one so different looking?" He asked pointing at the skinless titan he saw before they walked in.

"It's unsure as to why some titans are the way they are but that one in particular is known as the colossal titan. He broke through the outer wall and started the next war on humanity. It goes unsaid how exactly humanity got their selves out of that one but apparently it lasted several years filled with a series of deaths and still no answers on how to stop the terror of the titans."

"Sounds scary." Eren mumbled, walking along the displays and inspecting each item.

"Sounds ridiculous." Levi stared at a titan whose arms were raised in the air with a frightened face. "Did they really take these things seriously? I couldn't be afraid of something that looked this silly."

"You wouldn't say that when a titan was peering through your bedroom window right before it reaches in and grabs you, squishing you between their fingers and proceeding to eat you whole!"

Levi sighed and walked around to Eren other side. "These at least look interesting."

"That's the weaponry they used to fight titans. It's called 3D Maneuver Gear. It allowed the person to shoot themselves from point A to point B and it doubled as a sword holder."

Levi continued to look at the gear. It really peaked his interest.

"Ahh we're at the end of the exhibit! There is so much more about titans though!" She whined and followed the pathway towards the exit. "No wonder it was only a dollar." She pouted.

"Hanji," Eren started. "That was…so cool!"

"Oh no." Levi's eyes darted at Eren.

Eren knew better than to meet Levi's gaze at this point.

"You think so too? Titans are amazing huh Eren?!" Hanji grabbed Eren's hands, pushing Levi out of the way. "I'm so happy you think so! Would you like to hear more about them? You can come over to my house after this and I'll show you all of my books and statues and-"

"Sorry you psychotic woman but Eren has plans to come over to my apartment after this. Don't you Eren?" Levi's glare reeled in Eren's eyes. Saying no was most likely a death wish. He nodded his head at Levi then turned to Hanji continuing the nod.

"Aw what a shame, maybe another time then. Anyway let's go eat." Hanji rubbed her stomach and looked around for the nearest food stall.

* * *

"And she's probably taking a shit right now." Levi picked at the burger on his plate with his fork. They were eating on a bench located next to the food stall that Hanji dragged them to.

"Uh Levi?" Eren put his fork down on the side of his plate.

"Hm?" Levi hummed.

"C-Can I come over tonight then?" Eren stammered.

"Yes. I was planning on having you come anyway and spend the night too since I'll probably be too tired to drive you home late and you're definitely not taking the train."

"I see." Eren held back a smile while looking down at his plate.

"If you don't want to, I can drive you home right after this. Or, if you really _really_ wanted to, you could go to Hanji's."

"Ohh no. I honestly want to hear more stories from her but I really want to go to your place." Eren blushed and steadied his focus on his plate. He could feel Levi watching him, trying to read his face.

"Good." Levi tossed a napkin over his burger and pushed the plate away. "As soon as glasses freak gets this place out of her system, we'll head back to my place and I'll make you some real food."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review~**

**I'm pretty sure I'll have the next chapter up sooner than this one~**


	6. Touchy Subjects

**The next chapter is finally up! I think I struggled a bit with this one especially in trying to lengthen it out and I spent many hours working on it but alas this is what it is. I'm glad to get it posted. The reviews and follows are so amazing. The reviews make me so happy I just want to love you guys ^o^ Off topic much...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or its characters**

**Warning: This chapter contains sexual content and talks of family deaths. **

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Chapter 6

"We're finally here?" Eren towered in his seat and turned to Levi.

"Yep," He replied. He jerked the keys form the ignition and unlatched his seatbelt. "I did say that I didn't live too close to the school."

The drive from the mystical creature event to Levi's house ran on for roughly 30 minutes. Eren thought they would never make it.

Eren pressed on his seatbelt and stepped out of the car as Levi did. He gawked at the area and hesitantly followed behind Levi. "What kind of place is this?"

"It's an apartment." Levi fiddled with the set of keys in his hands and settled for a small silver one.

"I've never seen an apartment like this before."

"That's because it's paid for by the military in a way," Levi twisted the key in the lock and propped the door open for Eren. "Almost everything I own was granted by them."

"Really?" Eren stepped inside the dark room and blinked quickly when the lights flashed on. The room was brighter than a normal one, it came close to bothering Eren's eyes. It was all black and white. Eren walked over to a painting of a flower. "Even your decorations are black and white…"

"Does my place look bad?" Levi locked the door and lifted off his sweater to neatly fold it over the black couch.

"No, it's fitting," Eren answered after scanning a few other trinkets sitting around. "This place is really nice, are you glad you get benefits like this?" Eren asked. He only half paid attention to his own question since his interest fell on wondering what the rest of Levi's apartment looked like.

"Not particularly," Levi headed for the kitchen and opened the fridge to pull out a bottle of ginger ale. "Are you good with ginger ale?" He turned to Eren before closing the fridge.

"Y-Yeah I'm good with anything," Eren finally looked back at Levi. "Wait, you said you don't care for this kind of place? Why not?"

Levi sighed and tip toed to reach the good glasses he saved on the top shelf of his cabinet. "It's just not what I had ever wanted. I'd give every rich tasted item I own back to the military if they could give me back the life I had before this."

That stung Eren. He didn't understand what there really was to hate about any of this. It seemed nice.

Eren watched Levi pour the two glasses. He thought more about what Levi had said. Each word came packed full of hidden emotion.

Levi opened the fridge again to replace the soda bottle. Eren stared inside and noticed how little was actually inside of it. He glanced around the room a second time and noted how many details made it seem like only one person lived here. It's one thing if his parents were gone for business often but there was no trace of them ever being in that apartment. The two pairs of shoes by the door, both belonging to Levi, the one coat hung up on the rack that was clearly recognized as the coat Levi wore when he had first met Eren, and then the amount of items in the kitchen would amount to a useless attempt at making any decent meal.

"Levi, where's your family?" Eren asked. Maybe Levi just didn't live with them. "I know you said my chances of meeting them are basically zero but will they be around at all?"

"They're not here and they won't be here." Levi slid a glass across the counter to Eren and took a sip for himself.

"Where are they?" Eren didn't bother to pick up his drink. He barely noticed it was there.

Levi chugged the rest of his drink down and placed the glass in the sink. "I don't want to talk about that Eren." He walked past Eren towards the door to another room.

"Why not?" Eren asked. The anger was piling up and twisting with the confusion that caused it.

"Why do I need to?" Levi turned the door knob and began opening the door to what appeared as a bed room.

"Because I'm in a relationship with you," Eren's voice became strained. It took a lot to not raise his voice. "I want to know more about you. I don't want to try only to run into secrets every time."

Levi stopped in front of the door that he left ajar. He didn't turn around. "Alright Eren. My parents are both dead. Does that explain why you won't see them? Does that help you get to know me better?" Eren could see Levi shoulders raise up slightly and fall back down. "I'm going to take a quick shower. The remote is next to the TV. Find something interesting to watch." Without turning around, he went into the room and closed the door behind him.

Eren blankly gaped at the door. He didn't say anything to Levi, but what could he say? He had no idea that Levi's parents weren't alive. If anything Levi had made it seem like they were really gone for business. Eren was expecting that, he was hoping for a simpler answer.

Eren blinked and went to sit down. He didn't feel the need to turn on a TV. His attention wouldn't be able to focus on a show if he tried. Question after question demanded his attention now.

'_What actually happened to his parents? Is this why he had become a jaded person now? How fragile is he really? Can I make this right?'_

The questions repeatedly filtered Eren's mind and not an answer was to be found.

Eren strung his hand through his hair and buried his face in his hands. He couldn't have felt worse.

* * *

The door creaked open to reveal Levi in black and blue checkered pajama pants and a black long-sleeved top.

"Levi, I'm sorry for earlier I-" Eren began.

"No, it's fine," Levi left his door open and held up a hand. He walked around the couch and sat with both feet on the couch, leaning his back against the armrest. "I apologize for telling you like that. It's just…" Levi's eyes drifted to a portrait that could be seen through the left open door of a man, woman and a baby. The man was wearing a camouflaged uniform and the woman who was likely to be his girlfriend or wife was wearing a blue squared dress while holding an infant wrapped tightly in a light blue blanket. Levi closed his eyes and took in a heavy breath of air. He looked at Eren. "It's not my favorite subject but I'll tell you anyway."

"You don't have to." Eren looked at Levi wearily.

"I do." Levi propped his elbow on the couch's back and rested his head on his hand then closed his eyes. "You're right, we are in a relationship and I don't know how the hell this works. I think I've read something about sharing yourself with the other person in a few books and I'm assuming that's what you want from me."

Eren bit his lower lip. Levi made him sound like an annoying brat. He felt shameful and embarrassed for being the one who wanted clichés. He wanted to let Levi know that he didn't need that. Time would tell and he could wait. "I'm okay with the way things are now." Eren's words sounded rushed. "I can-"

"But…" Levi cut him off, still without opening his eyes to make any contact. "The idea of sharing yourself with someone else doesn't sound half bad."

Eren sat wide-eyed as Levi spoke. He hadn't expected that either.

Levi's voice was soft and quiet. "I would be lying if I said I didn't want to know everything about you as well. This is your chance to hear sentimental nonsense leave my lips so I suggest you pull out a tape recorder." Levi sighed. "For whatever reason, I'm drawn to you. I've never so inexplicably been interested in someone like I am right now. What's even more confusing is how I yearn so strongly to be closer to you. It's weird. A good weird, but still weird. You're the weird I needed. When my life fell to shit, there were only down sides from there and I eventually gave up in ever seeing a positive light again. But these emotions you've given me…they've made things different. The dull blacks and whites that I have been succumbed to only being able to see have brightened. Dimly though. Over the past week, they've brightened dimly. Dim is good as well. Dim is better than the faded colors I struggled and failed so hard to get back. And it's because of you Eren. It's because there's someone here that I actually _want_ to have in my life. So giving in and telling you about my hardships and losses are small prices to pay to become even closer with you don't you think?" Levi remained with his cheek pressed against the palm of his hand, waiting for Eren's response. Nothing came out.

'_At least I don't hear him laughing.' _Levi thought. He opened his eyes to look at Eren. Now it was Levi's turn to look shocked. Tears fought the temptation of dripping down Eren's cheeks. His lower lip was being pressed against deeply from before now to prevent it from quivering.

"What's wrong? Why do you look like you're going to cry?" Levi moved closer to Eren urgently. Confusion twisted in his expression. "Eren?"

Eren opened his mouth to say something but instead he lifted his right hand and brushed it on Levi's cheek. His thumb smoothed over Levi's lips briefly before it was replaced with his lips. Eren's eyes closed shut. Levi followed and let Eren lead him wherever he had wanted.

Eren slinked a hand over the fabric of Levi's shirt and coiled his fingers in the man's black short cut hair. His other hand pressed against Levi's thigh and slicked up and beneath his shirt. The brisk contact of Eren's fingers on Levi's back made the latter silently gripe. Levi's hushed protest left his mouth open just enough for Eren to slip his tongue in.

Soft moans escaped from the two as Eren explored both Levi's mouth and body. His hand traveled every inch of Levi's back and his tongue grazed every nook in his mouth. Eren kicked off his shoes and raised his legs over the edge of the couch. He used the advantage of this position to slowly push Levi beneath him without breaking the kiss. Eren held a knee down on either side of Levi. His hand roamed around Levi's torso and fumbled across his toned chest. He dragged his thumb across the intimate areas of Levi's chest and pushed his tongue in deeper as Levi groaned from the touch.

"_Mm…E-Eren…this is…"_ Levi attempted to talk but was given little room while Eren handled his tongue with his own.

"_What?"_ Eren finally asked during one of their quick pauses for air.

Levi's face was flushed, his hair was a mess and his black shirt was raised well above his abdomen. _"The couch isn't very comfortable…" _His voice faded as his head tilted to look at his bedroom. That was the only clue Eren needed. He got off of Levi and stood up, smiling at the full view below him. Eren could have left his eyes there for much longer but decided that the bedroom had much more in store for him.

Eren hoisted Levi in his arms. He ignored the curses, struggles and weight that didn't give credit to the man's short physique. Eren hauled Levi into the bedroom and let him down on the full sized mattress.

"Don't do things like that." Levi growled though his sheepish expression could hardly intimidate Eren now.

Eren loomed over the bed and pressed his palms against the sheet on each side of Levi. "Are you going to give me any rules?" He asked, smirking deviously. Levi didn't know such a decisive Eren existed.

Levi turned his head to break the eye contact with Eren. "No, do what you want."

The younger one's smirk remained. He leaned down so his face was inches from Levi's. Eren closed the gap and placed a limp kiss on Levi's forehead. Levi quickly faced Eren with abashment. He didn't know what to say. He didn't predict such a soft kiss from someone who looked so lustful a second ago. Eren's face had softened. It was peaceful. "Thank you," Eren mouthed. He then climbed completely onto the bed with Levi.

Eren straddled Levi's hips and focused his attention on the waistband of Levi's pants as his fingers brushed just beneath it. Levi flinched and stared at Eren with half-lidded eyes.

Eren held each side of Levi's pants and pulled them down to his ankles. He took the time to ease them over Levi's feet though his eyes were preoccupied elsewhere. Eren found his hand subtly reaching for Levi. He caressed the bulge beneath Levi's black boxer shorts and outlined the shape with his fingers.

Levi released low moans that he tried to bite back. He cursed Eren in his head for taking his time and leaned his head back to hide any more signs of embarrassment.

The boxer shorts were tugged down and left to form a pile with the pajama pants leaving Levi bare for Eren to see. Eren's hand trembled as he reached for Levi and made contact with his skin. The erection pulsed against Eren's fingers. He wrapped his hand around it and pumped up and down slowly. Levi winced, running his fingers through his own hair. Eren glanced at Levi. _"_Are you okay?"Eren asked without stopping the slow rhythm he had built up.

"I'm_..uhg fine.._d-don't ask questions like that!" He glowered at Eren through his embarrassment.

"A-Alright." Eren gulped.

The precum drizzled down Levi's shaft and Eren took the opportunity to stroke faster. He gripped Levi tightly and jerked his hand like mad. He could feel the climax building, provoking him to move faster.

"Come for me Levi," Eren said breathlessly. Eren gave the final jerks of his hand and cum began streaming down his arm.

Eren released Levi who breathlessly panted against the bed. By now Eren could feel his own erection throbbing in his pants. He reached a hand down to pull on the zipper but another hand beat him to it. Levi sat up while Eren's mind was phased on his own painful heat.

"It's your turn." Levi pulled the zipper down and removed Eren's clothes similar to how Eren did his.

* * *

Eren fell onto the pillow leaning against the headboard.

"I didn't really notice how comfortable your bed was until now." Eren mused. He snuggled against the white fabric of Levi's pillow and closed his eyes.

"It only feels amazing because a quick hand job tired you out." Levi yawned and stood up from the bed. He knew Eren's face was gushing with color from that statement but he decided not to turn around as he entered the bathroom.

Eren shook his head in disbelief.

'_He just says anything he wants doesn't he?' _

Eren rolled onto his back and smiled at the ceiling. It's not like the two went all the way or anything but Eren was satisfied with being able to see Levi so honestly releasing his emotions and the fact that Eren was the one who caused the pleasure made him grin all the more. He sat up when he heard the bathroom door open.

Levi frowned. The boy looked like he had just woken up from the greatest dream he would ever have. Anything could make him happy. Levi shrugged to himself. He could empathize with Eren's happiness. Levi pointed his thumb behind him towards the bathroom. "Go clean up, I left clothes in there for you earlier so you won't have to wear your jeans to bed."

Eren gave Levi a cheeky smile. "Will I reeeaalllyyy fit them?"

Levi's expression darkened. "It'd be a shame if you didn't. In that case you can just sleep naked. Preferably, on the porch outside."

Eren laughed at the dry humor. "Fine fine, I'll try my best then." He rolled lazily to the edge of the bed and stood up. He stopped next to Levi before entering the bathroom and briskly leaned down to kiss his cheek. "Thank you," He smiled then stood straight and closed the bathroom door behind him.

"What a brat." Levi grumbled. He walked over to bed and crawled under the sheets. Even he found them comfortable at this point. The entire day had been tiring and the small tension between him and Eren from earlier only managed to wear him out further. Levi sighed and pulled the blanket up until it tucked beneath his nose. He closed his eyes and smiled. Beneath a blanket he could smile as much as he wanted to. No one could see it there. It wouldn't look unfitting there. His pride wouldn't suffer beneath the covers. Levi rested in content until the door creaked open and Eren returned to the bedroom.

"This shirt isn't a bad fit actually," Eren said while tugging the sides of it. "It's even a little loose and it doesn't rise up unless I hold up my arms." Eren demonstrated by lifting his arms in the air to give Levi and example.

"How short do you think I am anyway? I'm not a midget," He growled and pulled the blanket beneath his chin. "I did look for my largest shirt though…So it fits well?"

"Definitely, I'd wear this at home if I owned it."

"Good. That'll be your shirt every time you stay over then okay?"

Eren blushed at what he took as an invitation to come again. Levi rolled his eyes and sat up.

"Come sit down. I'm going to tell you about my parents like I said I would." Levi patted the spot next to him for Eren to come and sit.

"O-Okay," Eren sat on the bed and looked at Levi. Waiting.

"I'm going to summarize this for you okay. There's no need to tell you everything now," Levi pulled his knees against his chest and folded his arms on top of them. "I told you how I'm part of a military family and all right?" Levi didn't look to Eren for a reply. His gaze unintentionally lingered on an outlet plug behind Eren. "Well, my father was the one in the army. He wasn't a big shot or anything but he was good. Good enough to be recognized wherever we went. He was friends with the big shots but never really a part of them. We always maintained regular living arrangements that weren't any better than those of the working class'. My father was strict on not using the army's benefits to our advantage so he only used the money that was needed and provided us with what we needed. My mother and I had no complaints towards it, we were all…happy. But then when I was 14…" Levi blinked and exhaled quietly. "My father died during a battle. It's almost as if I saw it coming. He was gone so often and fought so much it seemed inevitable that he'd get killed. The thought always lingered in the back of my mind and I thought I would be prepared but when the time came I was far from it. Any ounce of happiness that had ever glinted in my eyes faded away, just like my mother's had. When the doorbell rang and she opened the door, her whole world changed. We were much alike, my mother and I, and with that being said, I know that the color in her life had all reverted to black and white when the words were pieced together in her head. After that, my mother barely spoke a word. Not to her friends, not to her parents, not even to me. We moved into an apartment together and lived off of a small income granted to us by the military. It was even small compared to what my father gave us. I knew he could have provided much more before. I knew how much he really made but I hadn't the faintest idea as to where that money all went, until later that is. Anyways, I decided, after growing up in a home where the military was our life, to join the military. With it being the only thing I was accustomed to, such a job didn't seem like a bad idea. I was scrawny and weak but I worked and worked and worked. Giving up never even crossed my mind. Nothing could compare to the pain of coming home every day to that lousy apartment and my mother who didn't look at it any differently than she did her own son." Levi bit his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes on the same outlet. "I didn't want that for her. I didn't want her to see everything the same with dulled colors and little enthusiasm. I wanted her to be happy again, I wanted _us_ to be happy. Together. But first, I needed money. I needed to rebuild what we at least had before and give something back to her that could possibly remind her of anything even remotely related to joy. Something. Anything. So after two years of training and two years without a glint of happiness I was strong enough to join the military. I left the house with determination and a strong sense to fix everything. It was finally the day that I'd be officially admitted into the military. I stood in line with taller and broader men all of which I felt I could crush beneath my feet with the power that swelled inside of me. That was until I was navigated out of line by a man in a black suit. He had whispered something in my ear that extinguished the fiery flame that fueled me moments before." Levi was silent for a second. "He had told that my mother had killed herself. I was taken to the police station immediately after and was briefed on what happened. It's all still a blur to me but I specifically remember the note that she had left behind. It said "not again. I can't go through this again." That was the only thing I had known my mother to say after more than a year's worth of silence. And when she finally does speak up, I can't even hear her voice. I could only feel the guilt. I was rational enough to know it wasn't completely my fault but like with my father's death, I wasn't prepared for that. I was never really prepared for any of that…" Levi looked up and met Eren's eyes. Eren gulped and his mouth struggled to find a comfortable stance. He wouldn't cry in front of Levi, he would be strong for him instead and prove to him that he wasn't alone anymore. "The rest isn't worth talking about now. Erwin's family took me in, they being one of the big shot families that my dad was acquainted with, and they're the reason why I still receive military benefits. And later I received every saved penny that my dad had stowed away once I turned 18."

Eren scooted closer to Levi and slouched against his shoulder. "I love you," He repeated the words again and again. "I love you. I love you." He reached beneath the blanket and felt for Levi's hand, clenching it as he found it and holding it as if it was his last lifeline. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, not that my apology can change anything but I'll always stay with you. I'll never leave you. I love you."

Levi closed his hand over Eren's and looked down at him. Eren's face was pressed against Levi's shoulder. "Good," He whispered. He blinked his tired eyes and nudged his head against Eren's. "Let's go to bed okay?" The conversation didn't need to be pushed any further.

Eren nodded against Levi and stretched his legs beneath the covers. Levi did the same and turned onto his side facing Eren. He closed his eyes and slipped his fingers between Eren's. Eren smiled as much as he could after what he had hear and moved closer, pressing himself against Levi in an effort to make up for even the tiniest bit of comfort that Levi had lost over the years.

* * *

**Wow does Levi have a mouth on him! The whole chapter is pretty much just him talking. It was a necessary talk though. Also I had originally wanted the sex scene to be longer and actual sex...I had wrote it longer but it wasn't fitting right and I wasn't feeling much of the smut this time but it will continue later ^.^ **

**Thanks for reading again! Review as you'd like and follow for more (:**


End file.
